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Since the 1950s,^[1] Armando Manzanero has been considered to be one of Mexico's greatest songwriters of love songs, having 400 songs rank on music charts.^[2] The concept of an album with duets began on January 2000 where Manzanero took several trips to Spain to produce the record. "This album was very easy to make. I've never before recorded with such naturalness, with the charm and magic that the project gave me, which is also 100 percent Spanish," Manzanero commented.^[3] It was co-produced by Emanuele Ruffinengo and Nacho Mano and the album was completed on 19 December 2000 and was recorded in Mexico and Madrid, Spain.^[3]

Duetos features several artists such as Olga Tañón, Alejandro Sanz, Lucero, and Miguel Bosé performing Manzanero's well-known songs along with the artist.^[2] It also includes a new composition, "Antes de... Después de...", which Manzanero recorded with his son Juan Pablo Manzanero.^[4] Manzanero also invited Luis Miguel to record "Por Debajo de la Mesa", a song Manzanero composed for Luis Miguel on the album, Romances (1997),^[5] but the idea did not go through.^[3] Musically, the arrangement of Duetos draws inspiration from various styles namely jazz, blues, and flamenco.^[6] "Somos Novios" is performed as a bossa nova song. On "Espraré", the track starts as a bolero before transitioning into salsa.^[7]

Duetos was released on 7 February 2001 by WEA Mexico.^[3][3] "No Existen Límites" was also released as a promotional single in 2001.^[8]

More information Review scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
El Norte	[9]
La Prensa	[1]

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Deborah Davis of El Norte rated the album three-out-of-five stars; she praised the duets with Ricardo Montaner, Francisco Cespedes, and Carlos Cuevas as the best tracks due to the artists already being associated with romantic music and commended Bosé's performance on "Mía". However, she felt that Café Quijano "ruined" "Esperaré" and and Manzanero's son "left us wanting to rediscover him with 'Antes de, Despues de'."^[9] Billboard editor Leila Cobo noted that the arrangements are "for the most part, tailor-made" and found "Adoro", "Esperare", and "No" as the album stand outs. However, she noted that Manzanero is not a "strong singer" and that his performances on the songs are "as limited as possible here".^[7] Eliso Cardona wrote a positive review of Duetos which he regarded as the "checkmate of a craftsman who knows how to connect with young audiences without altering the essence of an old repertoire". Cardona commented that the arrangements "manage to banish the sepia tone" and affirmed that the album is for collectors.^[6]

La Prensa critics Daniel Domínguez and Karla Jimenez rated the album four-out-of-five stars stating Manznero "amazes" with his the new versions of his songs.^[1] Jose Fernandez of Business Mexico gave the record a mixed review. While he lauded the performances of several acts including Olga Tañón, Café Quijano, Presuntos Implicados, he found others such as Bosé's vocals "not so special", Lucero's "powerful singing as "flatten" on "No Existen Limites", and "Antes de... Despues de..." as "lackluser". Fernadnez also felt that the lack of Luis Miguel's participation made the album feel "incomplete" and concluded that while the record can be a "passable introduction to Manzanero's romantic boleros for beginners, true fans won't find much in it,"^[4]

At the 2nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2001, Duetos won Best Pop Vocal Album, Duo or Group.^[10]

The following credits are from AllMusic^[11]