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 En Primera Plana – Issac Delgado
While salsa was growing up in New York, a product of Afro-Cuban rhythms and urban heat, timba was heating up the streets of Havana. Whether you consider timba a style of salsa or its own genre, Issac Delgado is arguably Cuban timba's biggest star, from his days with NG La Banda to the present. En Primera Plana (On The Front Page) is Delgado's first album since he moved to the U.S. in 2006 and nobody could call him blase about the album's success. En Primera Plana was recorded in New York with the help of salsa giant Sergio George and a band of stellar musicians including Gonzalo Rubalcaba on piano and Israel "Cachao" Lopez on bass. The album opener is "La Mujer Que Mas Te Duele", a duet with Victor Manuelle, followed by a medley of Delgado past hits. |
 Al Fin – NG2
Puerto Rican duo NG2 is Norberto Velez and Gerardo Rivas (son of Jerry Rivas of El Gran Combo) have released their second album “Al Fin”. Both Velez and Rivas are ex-members of Victor Manuelle's orchestra, successfully striking out on their own. Six of the CD's tracks were written by Velez and his songs are faithful to a core Puerto Rican salsa style but, in addition, Velez' compositions add colour, a little world music flavour and originality to the album. The album's single, "Como Amigo No" did well on the charts and it's irresistible with vallenato rhythms and accordion adding a touch of Colombia to the island salsa. "Se Nos Fue El Amor" is a ballad with the two voices both producing great harmonies as well as an echoing counterpoint. |
 Salsa con Conciencia – La Excelencia
Percussionists Jose Vazquez-Cofresi and Julian Silva formed New York's La Excelencia in 2001; Salsa con Conciencia is their debut album and what a debut it is! Their goal is to appeal to more than old-school salsa aficionados; they wanted to grab the attention of younger salseros and create songs that are both danceble and contain meaningful lyrics that describe and complement urban life in the 2nd millenium. Thus we get "Salsa With A Conscience" and there's little doubt that they've succeeded on both counts. Think of the rhythmic dynamism of salsa crossed with the knock-out lyrics of urban corrido and you'll start getting an idea of what you get with this CD.
The opening track, "La Lucha" is heavy on hot, snarling trombones, reminiscent of early Willie Colon, with lyrics straight from the barrio.
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 Contraste – Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa comes from a long tradition of salseros, having paid his dues early in his career as lead singer for iconic, traditional salsa bands like El Gran Combo and that of Willie Rosario. But he's also an old-hand with romantic ballads; for instance, 2002's ViceVersa was an all-ballad release that was well received by the Latin community. Last year's Directo Al Corazon mixed it up; it was a combination of romantic ballads and his signature salsa. On Contraste, he once again plays in both ballparks only, this time, one CD is all ballads, the other all salsa.
And both CDs are satisfying. The pop/ballad songs are romantic, arranged with a rich, orchestral back-up. Santa Rosa understands how to deliver romance with nuanced, lyrical interpretations of good material. |
 Greetings From Havana – Cubanismo
We here in the U.S. are not getting to hear much Cuban music (unless it comes from Miami natives or defectors). That's why it's great that Australia has come to our rescue by bringing the world more music from Cubanismo, recorded on the Australian label, AIM. A dynamic group of musicians delivers the unique sounds of Cuban salsa with an eclectic mix of familiar tracks set to exciting Cuban rhythms. |
 The Godfather of Salsa – Andy Montanez
The Godfather of Salsa has been on every 'Best of Salsa' list this year. While this is an excellent album, in the tradition of Puerto Rico's El Gran Combo, I was a little bored with it because it sounded so much like all his other albums (well, maybe not so much like last year's Salsa Con Reggaeton). If you love classic Puerto Rican salsa and never get bored of it, this one's for you. |
 Live In Colombia – Tito Nieves
While a lot of today's salsa comes from the Caribbean, I think that Colombia is where salsa reigns supreme. Tito Nieves performed live in the salsa-crazy country and did an outstanding job.
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 The Best Tango Album in the World, Ever!– Various Artists
If you’re just learning tango and wish to practice on your own, this is a wise investment. You won’t have to disrupt your practice running back and forth to your cd player to select tracks. You won’t drive yourself nuts listening to the same song stuck on loop play. Basically, this is a good cd of classical, non-elevator tango music that does not beat you over the head with a nauseating DUM DUM DUM DUM beat. |
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