Ojalá Que Llueva Café

At the beginning of the recording sessions, the singer Maridalia Hernández resigned from the group to continue her career as a soloist. Following her departure, the musician and composer Marco Hernández and the singer Milagros Taveras were incorporated. On a joint tour of Juan Luis Guerra and his group with fellow Dominicans Rubby Pérez and Sergio Vargas, through Venezuela, the bus that was transporting the musicians had an accident in which percussionist Ángel Miro Andújar, nicknamed "Catarey", died. July 17, 1988. Upon returning from the failed tour, Milagros Taveras separated from the group and Guerra did not want to continue leading the group, falling into a kind of "lethargy".[10]

However, Bienvenido Rodríguez, president of Karen Records, convinced Guerra that the best tribute he could do to the deceased musician was to record again. Juan Luis Guerra composed the song "Ángel para una tambora" in honor of Andújar and replaced the deceased musician with the percussionist Juan De la Cruz. After this, Guerra recorded the title track "Ojalá que llueva café", which was the first single released in June 1989, and included the participation of the Dominican children's choir "Retoños" in which Laura Rivera Taveras, daughter of Milagros Taveras, sang. This The song became the most emblematic social song of the highly successful Guerra, whose video clip was directed by Peyi Guzmán and shot in the Southern Region of the Dominican Republic and was placed on the first place of Top 15 Best Dominican music videos of all times.[11]

This album includes "Razones" which was Guerra's second foray into the salsa genre since the LP record "Soplando", for whose recording sessions the musician included the Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Due to the wide dissemination of the music of the now defunct Venezuelan musical group Un solo pueblo, Guerra included in the sessions, the calypso "Woman del Callao" by the Venezuelan singer-songwriter Julio Delgado. Later, "Woman del Callao", "Visa for a dream" and "De tu boca" were released, of which a remixed version was made. Some time later, Karen Records, released the CD version of the album and respected the order of the songs from Side "A" to "B" in said edition.

The album received universal aclaim by the critics and music fans. For many, it is considered his best album and his most emblematic.

Carlos Agudelo from the seccion of Latin Notas of Billboard praised the musical structure of the album al wrote "Practically all the songs, while keeping the freshness and happiness of tropical music, are almost experimental pieces that seek to blend merengue with such genres as pop and jazz". Also, praised the lyrical content and stated "are truly poetic and meaningful, deep expressions of the Caribbean popular experience. With their music, Guerra and his partners -classically educated musicians -have given merengue another, richer dimension"

In the United States, Ojala Que Llueva Cafe debuted at number 21 on the Billboard Tropical Albums on the week of September 9, 1989. It peaked at number 2. It peaked at number 3 on the Miami Latin LPs sales. In Puerto Rico, the album debut at number four on the Cashbox Puerto Rican Lps on the week November 25, 1989. It later peaked number one. It was the third best selling Top Tropical /Salsa of 1990 in the United States and Juan Luis Guerra and 4.40 was named Top Selling Tropical /Salsa Latin of 1990.[12] Following the massive success of the following records, album sales for Ojala que Llueva Cafe remained strong for the next years. It was 17th Best selling tropical album in the United States of 1993.[13][14][15]

In Spain, the album was released in June 1990. It peaked at number 2 behind his own Bachata Rosa. As of August 1991, it sold over 270,000 copies. It eventually sold more than 400,000 in the territory.

Ojala Que Llueva Cafe is considered the album that made Juan Luis Guerra a global superstar status and Latin Sesation. Also, it was his first album to top the charts in many Latin America and Europe countries and to had significant sales. As of the end 1993, it had sold over 2.5 millions of copies worldwide.

The lead single "Ojala que Llueva Cafe" was hist first single to debut on the US Hot Latin Tracks at number 27 on the week of October 14, 1989 and reached number 21.[16][17]

1. "Visa Para un Sueño" – 3:30
2. "Ojalá Que Llueva Café" (merencumbia) – 4:12
3. "Razones" (salsa) – 3:59
4. "De Tu Boca" – 4:42
5. "La Gallera" – 3:56
6. "Woman del Callao" – 4:23
7. "Reina Mía" – 4:03
8. "Ángel Para una Tambora" (merencumbia) – 3:18