Antecedente

Performer: Rubén Blades y Son del Solar
Artist: Ralph Irizarry; Tito Allen
Engineer: Jon Fausty; Ruben Blades
Producer: Ruben Blades
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Ruben Blades (vocals, maracas); Oscar Hernandez (piano, synthesizer); Mike Vinas (synthesizer, bass); "Papo" Vasquez, Renaldo Jorge (trombone); Marc Quinones (bongos, campana, guiro, tumbadora); Ralph Irizarry (timbales, percussion); Tito Allen, Nestor Sanchez (background vocals). Recorded at Sound Ideas, New York, New York from October-December 1987. Although sung in his native tongue, his return to exuberant, dance-oriented salsa breaks through all language barriers. ~ John Floyd Instantly upbeat and crackling with energy, ANTECEDENTE sees a further crystallization of Ruben Blades' reinvention of salsa as a format for the barrio narrative. The material lies for the most part in a realm of romance and nostalgia, and unlike other albums with Seis Del Solar, the keyboards have been set down and the horns picked back up for a more straight-ahead salsa feel. "La Marea" and "Juana Mayo" are thick cuts of hard salsa, the latter a darkly poetic depiction of a prostitute's endless and anonymous nightwalking. "'Tas Caliente" goes on a joyride full of piquant rhythmic breaks as Ruben admonishes a muchacho to change his low-life ways "or one of these days you're gonna get it." "Patria" steals the show here though, with its simple, slowly swelling Afro-Cuban rhythmic accompaniment and arresting ode to the "Motherland." Far from any jingoistic chest-pounding, Ruben offers a sunny, open vision of the word as he heartily proclaims, "...little brother, Motherland is so many beautiful things!"

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