Sound Loaded

Let’s face it, we all love the Puerto Rican heart-throb that answers to the name Ricky; well, in small doses. In summer '99, 'Livin' La Vida Loca' lit up the charts as one of the finest sunshine and kookiness hits in recent years. The girls just luuurrrve those smouldering South American good looks, and by crikey can the boy dance! He crowned last year with a clutch of Grammies and rounded it all off in spectacular style with a tour in an open-topped silver convertible perv-mobile live onstage.

Originally, Sound Loaded was intended to be a totally Spanish album, but in trying to regain the affections of the MTV speaking world only five of the fifteen tracks were completed in Rick's first language. This year's single 'She Bangs' kicks off the kink-fest, but unfortunately it doesn't come close to the steamy extremes of that video where Ricky stripped with 27 models. Without the accompanying eye candy, 'She Bangs' is just a fairly dull and predictable pop song with a horribly overdone and overblown sheen. The title track, 'Loaded', is unfortunately not a sexed up tribute to The Velvet Underground or Primal Scream, but yet another second rate sub-Latin sounding dirge that is all posturing and no chorus. 'Nobody Wants to Be Lonely' is Ricky's big-hearted and vulnerable moment, but we all prefer him when he's playing the hot-blooded stallion. 'The Touch' manages to touch a few steamy nerves, but still it is hardly the kind of stuff that will be prompting anyone to rush for a cold shower.

It looks like poor Ricky is just another pretty one hit wonder, but I'm sure lots of lovestruck admirers will be hoping that he gets his mojo back.