The Essential Summer Albums – Mended by Marc Anthony

Welcome to entry one in our new series on the best music for the summer. This series isn’t necessarily reviews of these albums but it’s about the vibes. We’re here for the albums you need to listen to not just this summer, but every summer. The inaugural essential is Marc Anthony’s 2002 album Mended.

Mended – Marc Anthony

Mended is Marc Anthony’s 6th studio album and his second in English (minus the bonus tracks). This album follows the same themes as previous Marc Anthony albums. The themes of love, passion, and romance are countered by the pain and commitment to being unattached. It’s a wide variety of great lyrics mixed with light Latin vibes.

To me, this has always been the essential summer album. I can clearly remember being about 7 or so and hearing this album play over the speakers in my backyard as my parents threw a party for the neighborhood. This CD was always the first in the player for the summer gatherings.

Even almost 20 years later, this album continues to resonate and give me songs that I can go back to time and time again.

The Essential Tracks

It’s hard to say anything bad about any of the songs this album. There aren’t many misses among the 13 tracks.

The opening guitar of “Love Won’t Get Any Better” is an iconic opening. As soon as I hear that intro, I’m immediately brought back to my childhood and walking out on to my deck. It’s a high energy track that takes a step higher in the later half. It’s an all-time great opening track and one of my favorites.

The biggest standalone hit on the album is probably “Tragedy”. This is a great example of the commitment to no commitment that I mentioned earlier. The music video perfectly illustrates the central idea of the song. It’s not a tragedy if someone doesn’t love you, there’s always someone else.

The third big track I’ll talk about is “I’ve Got You”. This is probably one of the most timeless songs on the album. It’s a love song whose themes are still, if not more, relevant today. For so many of us, saying “why would I go anywhere when I have you?” seems self-evident. People like myself don’t take the question of who to love lightly so when we make a decision we’re sure of it. Despite the options there may be, there’s only one for us. (Also if you want to read more about love, read Part 2 of our Salsa Saturday series).

Just a random aside but this album does something that most Latin albums don’t anymore. It includes both English and Spanish versions of songs. I miss that. It gives you the ability to experience the same songs in different ways. The intricacies and subtleties of Spanish and English allow a more informed understanding of the song and it’s meaning.

The Perfect Scene

This album is perfect for dancing on the deck as the heat subsides and the summer heat wanes. Get some sangria and some margaritas and take the party to the next level. This is a versatile album that you can enjoy with any company. Even better, it’s in English.

It’s a refined sound made for a large audience. Enjoy it that way! Marc Anthony sings for every mood so this is a must-have in your rotation.

Enjoy and let the vibes run free!