Five stunning MTV Unplugged albums that sold over one million
By StevieMac
Ricky Martin - MTV Unplugged - 1.07 million
This album came relatively later than many top sellers in the series. Recorded in Miami in August 2006 it was released that November. Puerto Rican Ricky Martin had a strong Latin American following and was very popular in Europe too. That helped boost the worldwide sales so far to just over one million copies.
It is one of the MTV Unplugged series albums that tests the format somewhat. It’s a full-on live performance from Martin but he is backed by his band with strings and horns, plus keyboards and electric bass. So not entirely stripped back or unplugged then.
The recording and album come a few years after some of his biggest single hits, the very pop-based and commercial “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and “She Bangs” for example. Surprisingly perhaps neither are featured here though Martin’s many fans won't mind that. Especially the Latin-based ones.
His set is in Spanish and covers a variety of other hits and some new songs at the time too. The mix between upbeat and softer romantic songs leans more in favor of the latter, but the energetic rhythms are there for sure. For Martin fans, it’s a decent album. It may feel like a slightly odd selection for the unplugged treatment but works well, as the high sales reflect.
Continued on the next slide...