Ricardo Montaner Revisits His Biggest Hits 40 Years Later on New Album

Ricardo Montaner is looking back at his storied career with a new perspective — and giving his classic ballads an update. On Friday, the musician dropped Ricardo Montaner 2 (Versión Montaner), on which he re-recorded and re-mastered some of his most notable songs, including “Tan Enamorados.”

“To be able to do my iconic songs with the original arrangements but with modern sounds was a one-of-a-kind experience,” he tells Rolling Stone. “Revisiting those tracks now was great because I recorded them with tranquility, knowing they were part of the foundations of my career.”

“I’m not sure if I sing them better, but I’ve been performing them for 40 years so I feel calm recording them again,” he adds.

About “Tan Emanorados,” which continues to be his most-celebrated track to date, Montaner says he thinks the new version is “so much more beautiful than the first time I recorded,” since it features new musical elements. Along with “Tan Enamorados,” Montaner re-recorded “A Donde Va el Amor,” “Solo Con Un Beso,” and “Haciendo Camino.”

“It’s so much more gorgeous. It makes me incredibly happy,” he says. “I’m fascinated by the fact that the kids of the kids who follow me will be able to listen to this and hear the quality of the new recording.”

Montaner says he approached Alejandro Lerner, who wrote songs “Tu Piano y Mi Guitarra” and “La Bella Duriente y Yo,” about re-recording their work together a few months ago. Lerner’s response? “Have you gone crazy?”

“I said, ‘Maybe so,'” Montaner joked.

The new collection of re-recorded tracks arrive a few months after he dropped the first edition of his Versión Montaner tracks, which included new versions of “Ojos Negros,” “Extraño Sentimiento,” and “En Ti.”