El cantante by Willie Colon
El Cantante: The OriginalsPrice: $8.99 USD in Amazon
Lowest used price: $12.10 USD
Héctor Lavoe (1946-1993) was born Héctor Juan Pérez in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and became known to his fans simply as El Cantante (the singer). His hectic career began when he moved to New York City as a teenager and headlined with Willie Colôn’s band and, later, with the Fania All-Stars. But despite a series of hits that culminated in a 1987 Grammy nomination for his final album, Strikes Back, his posthumous reputation was not nearly so widespread as it deserved to be. Then, in 2006, he became the subject of a film biography, also called El Cantante, which is now available on DVD. Starring the modern Latin-and-crossover superstar Marc Anthony, and featuring his pop star wife, Jennifer Lopez, as Lavoe’s long-suffering and endlessly loyal mate, Nilda “Puchi” Roman, it captures much of the gritty, mesmerizing yet poetic urban ambience that launched his tragic but ultimately triumphant legacy. The present album gathers together several of Lavoe’s most iconic tunes, many of which were covered by Anthony in the movie. However, with all due props to the younger artist, Lavoe’s own interpretations are still the ones to beat. Showcased in selections composed by Johnny Pacheco and Rubén Blades, among others, and produced by Willie Colôn, his lifelong friend and collaborator, his creamy, resonant tenor, flawless phrasing, and improvisatory zeal are so incandescently organic that he never seems to break a sweat–even as he wrings every possible iota of lyric, rhythmic and emotional truth from each tune.–Christina Roden
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