Portal:Latin music/Selected album/20
Independiente is the thirteenth Spanish-language studio album by Guatemalan singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona, released on 23 September 2011. Recorded in the United States and Mexico, it was produced by Arjona with Dan Warner, Lee Levin and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Tommy Torres. The album—the first independent release by Arjona after he was signed by Sony Music in 1993 and Warner Music in 2008—was issued by his own label, Metamorfosis.
Composed and written in a year, the record marks Arjona and Torres' fourth collaboration. For Independiente, Arjona returns to his trademark sound after his stylistic departure for Poquita Ropa (2010). While producing the latter, he had used fewer instruments to simplify his sound, having introduced what had been called a "stripped-down acoustic effort" in his music. Independiente has been compared to his earlier recordings, Historias (1994) and Animal Nocturno (1993).
Independiente became Arjona's fourth number-one album on the Billboard Top Latin Albums where it debuted for the week ending 22 October 2011. For thirteen non-consecutive weeks it topped the Latin Pop Albums chart, and reached number one on the Mexican Albums Chart.