Singer discovers the beat of his heart
Singer discovers the beat of his heart

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By The Associated Press

Published: July 18, 2008

MIAMI — Sitting in the back of a darkened arena, a Celtics hat pulled low on his head, a black warm-up suit covering his lanky frame, Dominican bachata and merengue star Juan Luis Guerra cuts an unassuming figure.

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Get the man on stage, and it's another story. His ability to fuse infectious beats, romantic ballads and lyrical social commentary with strains of rock, jazz and even hip-hop has made him an icon of Caribbean and Latin American music.

Yet after a successful career spanning more than two decades, even Guerra says he is surprised by the success of his latest album "Llave de Mi Corazon (The Key to My Heart).”

The album won him his second Grammy this year and dominated the Latin awards shows. Its two songs in English have also made the charts. And on Saturday, Guerra and his band 4.40 launched his biggest international tour in more than a decade at Miami's American Airlines Arena, with 40-plus dates across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Success surprising

"God had a number of surprises in store for me,” Guerra told The Associated Press during a recent break from rehearsals. "I knew when we finished, that we had a very good CD, that this CD was going to be very successful, but I didn't know how much.”

Guerra calls "La Llave de Mi Corazon,” released last year, his most romantic album. That's saying a lot for a man whose ballads are often featured on top 10 lists of international love songs along with those of Barry White and Astrud Gilberto.

"Above all, it exalts the figure of the woman,” Guerra said.

That's not to say Guerra has given up the other themes that have long infused his work.

He became a born-again Christian in the mid-1990s and in 2004 produced his first religious album "Para Ti (For You).” Its infectious beats won it air time on secular tropical radio stations.

Related Topics: Entertainment, Music, Latin Music, Regional Music