Areíto (album)

Areíto is the sixth album by Juan Luis Guerra with his band 440, released on 8 December 1992, by Karem Records. The album, meant to be a tribute to the indigenous tribes of the Dominican Republic, is named after a dance that the aboriginal inhabitants of the Greater Antilles (Taínos) accompanied with songs during their festivals and religious rites. The album contains twelve tracks including "Cuando te Beso", interpret by Santo Domingo Philharmonic Orchestra. Congolese musician Diblo Dibala played guitar on the song "El Costo de la Vida", which was a Spanish cover of his own soukous song "Kimia Eve", while the last track on the album, "Naboria daca, mayanimacaná", is sung in Arawak, the language of the Taíno people. Areíto was originally set to be released in early April 1992, but was first delayed to the end of October 1992 and was finally released on 8 December 1992.

According to Guerra himself, Areíto did not serve as a follow-up to his previous album Bachata Rosa (1990). The album received universal acclaim from critics. It considered one of Guerra's best and most important albums, along with Bachata Rosa and Ojalá Que Llueva Café (1989). It was also his most introspective, as witnessed by the socio-political themes addressed in some songs. However, it faced some controversy due the strong social lyrics in some protest songs, and the music video of the album's third single, "El Costo de la Vida", was banned in several countries. The song album contains lyrics about poor conditions in many Latin American countries, the celebration of the 'discovery' of America and the double standards of first-world nations. Some critics' and detractors labeled this as anti-capitalist tendencies. Despite this "El Costo de la Vida" was his first number-one hit on the Hot Latin Tracks and won Tropical/Salsa Song of the Year at the 5th Lo Nuestro Awards.

Areíto was nominated for Best Tropical Latin Album at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards and received three nominations to Lo Nuestro Awards, including Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year. To support the album, seven singles were released from the record, five of which became top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. The album was a commercial success selling over two million copies. To promote this album, he embarked the Areíto World Tour in 1993, his largest tour at the time.