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| Ain't no party like a Tito Puente party! |
Part 15 of my 1000+ part series.
(For info on that, clickety-click-click)
In which I still am awful at reviewing jazz/largely instrumental albums, but at least this one is in Spanish?
TL;DR:
TL;DR:
More after The Cut >>>
1.) El Cayuco
Aaaand we're off!
A mid-tempo ditty, this screams 1950s to me. I can just imagine a hip dance club in Miami or New York playing something like this.
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| The setting |
2.) Complicación
The tempo is heating up here, and this guy doesn't want any of your complications to cramp his style, got it?
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| That means you, Avril. |
This is a straightforward and very typical Latin song of the era, one that is a lot of fun and great for dancing. My only small quibble is that there are quite a few 'false stops,' as I call them: basically there are a lot of places where it seems as though there is a natural end to the song, before it then picks up once more.
3.) 3-D Mambo
No, this is not the TRON soundtrack, but it is from the FUTURE! Well, kinda, anyway. The music is slightly "futuristic past" in nature, with its melody patterns and horns.
Speaking of, the trumpet solo around 1:45 is the stuff dreams are made of. Well met, Sir!
4.) Llegó Miján
A similar tempo to "El Cayuco," this one is about how Miján is here and is ready to BOOGIE!
No one keeps Miján from dancing. No. One.
Not bad, but eh, I'm not super into it. But I am glad that Miján made it safely.
5.) Cuando Te Vea
Now this is more my speed, literally and figuratively. This is a great salsa that makes me want to DANCE! DANCE, I SAY!
In many ways, this is the Latin answer to Frank Sinatra's jazzier numbers: brass-heavy backing with a male vocal singing about difficulties with The Ladies. It's great.
6.) Hong Kong Mambo
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| Kinda? No. The answer is no. |
The title is very Blade Runner, while the music itself, despite its (very loose) inspiration from "Eastern" music, is more "mambo" than "Hong Kong."
The instrumentation is what makes it unique, with a pretty predominant use of what is likely a marimba.
7.) Mambo Gozón
Ok, noooow we're getting some piano up front in the mix. I see you, Tito.
I dig the tempo changes and the building trumpets. Strangely, this is a song where I actually wanted less of the vocals. Now, I'm a huge vocals person (which is the recurring theme of my "I have no idea what I'm doing" tag here) but for this particular song, I was so into the instrumentals and their constant evolution that I found the somewhat repetitive vocals to be distracting.
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| I'm sorry, guys - you really did give it your all |
Still, a standout for me!
My little lady is going to dance too. No word on the involvement of one Miján. Reports pending.
The tempo shift at the 2:50 or so mark is everything.
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| How did you dance around THAT one, Miján? |
9.) Varsity Drag
Soooo the title confuses me.
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| Is it more Varsity Blues... |
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| ...or more Drag Race? You decide. |
Eh. Not super memorable for me. It made me think of a dulled down version of the "I Love Lucy" theme song. And I LOVE me some Lucy.
With a title that roughly translates to "I'm Always With You," it makes sense that this is something of a ballad.
The lyrics also say that he doesn't care who you are, where you're from, or what you did.
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| Being the implication, of course. |
It's a pretty song, and a chill one at that. A nice way to mix it up on the album.
11.) Agua Limpia Todo
Water cleans everything, including people's tongues. It's the way of the world, you see.
This is actually another one of the songs on the album that I preferred without the vocals. I enjoyed the percussion and the saxes, but the vocals were a bit too repetitive. I get that they in and of themselves are almost a 'percussive instrument'... but still.
12.) Saca Tu Mujer
A piano-led one to take us out! Fitting, given that we're being told to take out our woman. I guess Miján was too busy to help
IS THAT COWBELL? OH MY GOD YES
COWBELL, IT'S BEEN TOO LONG
FINAL THOUGHTS:
According to the Interwebs, this is still the highest selling Latin dance album of all time (though my info could be outdated), and was the first major American release featuring genuine Latin rhythms and featuring Spanish lyrics. That in and of itself is pretty phenomenal. This music is a lot like some of the stuff I grew up listening to, which made it overall a more enjoyable listen for me than other jazz-esque albums. I can also appreciate the diversity of the music and the work that went into it. Some of these tracks I will likely revisit and share with some of my family and friends.
Personal standout tracks:
"Complicación," "Cuando Te Vea," "Mambo Gozón," "Estoy Siempre Junto a Ti," "Saca Tu Mujer" yes, because of the cowbell, no I'm not joking
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