Luny Tunes Mas Flow Gold Edition CD

Francisco Saldaña and Víctor Cabrera (aka Luny Tunes) have produced all the big-name reggaeton acts, and their influential MAS FLOW compilations have shaped the Latin and pop charts. Here they team up with protégé Tainy for a collection of new classics, starring the usual padrinos (Wisin & Yandel, Don Omar, Alexis & Fido) and some newer voices (Yo-Seph, Angel Doze).
Shortly after releasing Los Benjamins, the third volume in their ongoing Mas Flow series of mixtape-style albums, reggaeton production crew Luny Tunes went back to the drawing board and began work on La Continuacion. Essentially a deluxe edition of Los Benjamins, La Continuacion includes roughly two and a half hours of music spread over the course of two CDs and one DVD. The first CD is the original edition of Los Benjamins sans the two unlisted bonus tracks that had been tacked onto the end of that album. The second CD is comprised of remixes of key songs from Los Benjamins, in addition to ten new songs, an opening instrumental, and four "bonus tracks" from the previously released compilation Raices del Reggaeton. The DVD includes a few videos. Amid all of this content, the second CD stands out. There are several new songs here that are really good, each of them highlighting emerging young vocalists: "Vete" (Erre-11), "Welcome to My Crib" (Randy), "Camara" (Yomo), "La Distancia" (Arcangel), "Mia" (Yo-Seph), and "I Think I'm in Love" (Ektor). The remixes on this second CD are equally impressive, for the most part surpassing the original mixes, and they're surprisingly daring, as if the Luny Tunes crew felt emboldened to expand its sound. For instance, the "Hello" remix is stripped down to vocals and piano -- no beats whatsoever. Since Los Benjamins (i.e., the first disc) had been somewhat of a letdown -- no real strides forward, just more of the same, with a handful of clumsy songs that weren't up to par -- this new music is a small revelation: it's promising to hear Luny Tunes explore new sounds, step up their songwriting, and in the case of the remixes, improve upon some of their past missteps (especially "Lento," which benefits greatly from the addition of Wisin & Yandel -- and consequently the subtraction of some RBD vocals). Released on the heels of Calle 13's exciting Residente o Visitante, with Daddy Yankee's long-awaited El Cartel right around the corner, Los Benjamins: La Continuacion was a well-timed and worthwhile venture for Luny Tunes, who have much to gain from the commercial rise of reggaeton. Hardcore fans will want to shell out the cash necessary to hear the new music here, even if half of La Continuacion was previously released. Casual listeners who don't already own Los Benjamins, on the other hand, are advised to pick up this release instead, even if it's a little more costly. With roughly two and a half hours of music, much of it first-rate, La Continuacion offers more than its money's worth. [Note that the album's credits are occasionally puzzling, with errors printed here and there throughout the packaging (e.g., track 12 on disc two).] ~ Jason Birchmeier
Luny Tunes, far and away reggaeton's biggest hitmakers, continued their relentless music output in 2006, releasing not one but three albums, only one of which, however, was comprised of entirely new music. That all-new album, Los Benjamins, is a continuation of their popular Mas Flow series of various-artists albums. Each of these albums features the trademark production of Luny Tunes (even if some of it is co-produced or credited to in-house associates like Nely, Tainy, and Los Presidents) as well as a bounty of reggaeton's most popular voices, with the notable absence of Tego Calderón, who had appeared on all previous volumes. The usual stars are featured -- Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, Zion, Hector "El Father," Tito "El Bambino," Alexis & Fido -- along with the surprising inclusion of RBD, the as-seen-on-TV pop/rock group of exceptional renown circa 2006. The RBD song, "L