Michael Stuart - Back To Da Barrio CD

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 Back to da Barrio
Very good, I enjoyed the CD very much.
Submitted by wriospcca (Philadelphia, USA) 
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 A FUEGO
Le quedo al palo, en especial la que tiene con Tito Rojas, ciertamente un clasico
Submitted by asa1171 (Heidelberg, Alemania) 
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 Best album ever
I Love this album. Nothing left to say, just listen it.
Submitted by locoville (Wallingford, CT, USA)
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 Best salsa album of the past decade? Maybe.
While this album consists mostly of covers of reggaeton songs, the songs are fully reworked as salsa, often with help from Puerto Rican roots rhythms such as plena, bomba, and jala jala. The sound is fresh and current, the intensity of Michael Stuart's vocal attack echoes old school, pre-salsa romantica, values. True, the remake of "Nadie Sabe" begins on a salsa romantica note (with hints of modern R&B), but then it unfolds into something else. It almost sounds like Michael Stuart is saying, "Okay, we can do this with the song, or we can do this," and as he goes on, the tension builds. That's one thing the tracks here do extremely well: they keep the tension building in a satisfactory way. In addition to Stuart's singing, which is on fire throughout the album, the percussion is often outstanding (and particuarly well-recorded, I think). As a dancer, I like the way different songs here strongly suggest different ways of moving, shuffly, bouncy, etc. Ironically, the weakest track here was one of the singles, "Ella y Yo," featuring Tito Rojas, but even that is not unlistenable, despite Tito Rojas's spluttering delivery. The version of "Soy Callejero" (which I think was originally written by a member of Willie Rosario's band) is also a weak point, mostly because the rapping seems a bit weak (almost reminiscent of the bad rapping that often shows up on timba songs). It is the only song here I would consider labeling as "salsaton." Still, it is only weak relative to the rest of what is a very strong album, and there's plenty of Michael Stuart vocal prowess on display even in this song. This album is so good, the weaker songs still have a lot to offer. Some purists may not like the vocoder-like effects that are occasionally used on Stuart's voice, but the vocal effects are not overdone. (Curiously, they are one of the few obvious echoes of reggaeton production on the album.) If you think good salsa has to sound like the latest soporific Spanish Harlem Orchestra spinoff album, then maybe this is not for you. You will find the rest of us on the dance-floor (or maybe just in our livingroom), getting down to "Mayor Que Yo" or "Yo No Soy Tu Marido."
Submitted by Rudy (Philadelphia, PA, USA)
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 HOT!!!
I think this CD is HOT. All of the tracks are good and I don't skip any of them. This is a CD you can just put in and listen and love the whole thing. Highly recommended! FUEGO!!
Submitted by Talia (Albany, NY)
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