El Abayarde Contra-ataca

Performer: Tego Calderón
Engineer: Omar Vivoni; Mario 'Marioso' de Jesus
Producer: Francisco Rosado; Tego Calderon; Elias De Leon; Luis 'Cano' Santiago (Compilation)
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. TEGO was nominated for the 2003 Latin Grammy Award for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album. Personnel: Tego Calderon, Eddie Dee, Maestro, Jessy (vocals); Hiram Abrante, Tempo Alomar (background vocals). Producers include: Noriega, Maestro, Ekko, DJ Joe, DJ Adam. TEGO was nominated for the 2003 Latin Grammy Award for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album. The Puerto Rican-born, Miami-bred Tego Calderon has blazed his own trail in the reggaeton scene since the appearance of his debut EL ABAYARDE in 2003. His third effort, 2007's EL ABAYARDE CONTRAATACA, follows in the footsteps of his sophomore release, THE UNDERDOG, by tweaking traditional reggaeton with mixed-genre experiments, including a greater emphasis on salsa. Those seeking the familiarity of run-of-the-mill reggaeton may be disappointed, but listeners with a taste for something new will appreciate Calderon's musical ambition. One day short of a year after Tego Calder�n released The Underdog/El Subestimado (2006), a sprawling album that defiantly distanced him from the reggaeton bandwagon -- thereby alienating a significant segment of his audience and commercial prospects in the process -- he returned with El Abayarde Contra-Ataca, a remarkably refined effort that is a sequel to his classic debut, El Abayarde (2003), in name only. If anything, El Abayarde Contra-Ataca (i.e., The Abayarde Strikes Back) is a sequel to The Underdog, in terms of musical approach if not name. Some fans might understandably wish otherwise. El Abayarde was the album that established Calder�n as one of the leading lights of the reggaeton uprising circa 2003-2004. It was practically genre-defining, in the sense that it was one of the first reggaeton full-lengths to stand alone as a true album rather than a compilation of disparate tracks. Plus, it, along with Don Omar's The Last Don (2003), also introduced to the masses the production duo Luny Tunes, who would quickly become reggaeton's go-to hitmakers. The Underdog, on the other hand, was genre-defying. Over the course of 23 tracks, Calder�n pushed the boundaries, frequently delving into rap as well as "salsaton," and he used the album as a platform to air out his world view. For every run-of-the-mill reggaeton exercise like "Cuando Baila Reggaet�n," a rote would-be hit featuring Yandel that found Calder�n sounding uninspired, if not downright bored, there were songs like "A Mi Pap�" and "Llora, Llora" -- the former an emotional ode to his recently deceased father, the latter a salsa-cum-reggaeton mash-up graced with a chorus by the great Oscar d'Le�n. On El Abayarde Contra-Ataca, Calder�n refines the aspects of The Underdog that worked (the stylistic mash-ups, the rapping, the Caribbean-isms) and ditches those that didn't work so well (the run-of-the-mill reggaeton). In addition, he presents a considerably more joyful mood lyrically and limits himself to 14 tracks in 52 minutes. Consequently, this album is much easier to enjoy than its predecessor, which, for as curious as it was at the time of its release, was admittedly difficult, especially when taken as a whole. It helps, too, that El Abayarde Contra-Ataca is laden with highlights. The opening run of "Tradicional a Lo Bravo" (a fun-filled tropical dance song), "Ni Fu Ni Fa" (a chaotic production that includes techno bleeps as well as chanting children), and "Cual Es el Plan y Eso" (boasting a show-stopping rap courtesy of Calle 13 vocalist Residente) is fantastic, while further highlights such as "Quitarte To'" (featuring hot up-and-comer Randy on the hook), "TTTTego Remix" (hard-hitting), and "No Era por Ah�" (absolutely crazed production) pop up every couple songs. Overall, El Abayarde Contra-Ataca is a reassuring release by Calder�n. His previous album was alienating in many ways, and though some championed it for its defiance and experimentation, in retrospect it's evident it was a transitional effort in need of further development and eventual refinement. El Abayarde Contra-Ataca is also a reassuring release for reggaeton. The recently stagnant style really needs to be challenged creatively by more albums like this and Calle 13's Residente o Visitante (2007), for the potential for greatness is there, as proven by this pair of albums. ~ Jason Birchmeier In the continental United States, the vast majority of Latino rappers have favored a bilingual approach. That has been true of Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles (Kid Frost, Lighter Shade of Brown, Proper Dos) and Puerto Ricans in New York (Hurricane G, Mesanjarz of Funk) as well as the Cuban-born Mellow Man Ace. Those artists have opted to rap in both English and Spanish -- mostly English -- but in Latin America, it's a different story. From Mexico City to Buenos Aires, Latin America is full of MCs who exclusively rap in Spanish -- which is what Tego Calder�n does on his debut album, El Abayarde, an intriguing effort that draws on influences ranging from Willie Col�n and Rub�n Blades to the late 2Pac Shakur. Calder�n's grooves often have a strong Afro-Cuban/salsa influence -- occasionally, he incorporates reggae and Dominican merengue instead -- and his flow definitely owes something to Shakur despite the fact that 2Pac only rapped in English. Those who have some understanding of Spanish will have no problem identifying Calder�n as a Puerto Rican; the Caribbean dialects of Spanish (Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican) are easily recognizable if you've studied that language, and Calder�n's accent is quite different from the Mexican accent one associates with Kid Frost or Lil' Blacky. In fact, Latinos who aren't knowledgeable of Puerto Rican slang may not understand all of the colloquialisms that the rapper employs. Regardless, Calder�n obviously has strong rhyming skills, and El Abayarde is sonically appealing even if you don't understand everything he's saying. While most of the CD is hip-hop with Latin overtones, "Plant� Bandera" is outright salsa. But that track is the exception instead of the rule; El Abayarde is a rap album first and foremost, and those who aren't intimidated by the language barrier will find it to be a solid debut for the Puerto Rican MC. ~ Alex Henderson

Global Rhythm (Publication) (p.52) - "[A] combination of classic hip-hop's reverent reconfigurations and up-to-the-minute electronic grooves, which wind up making this one of the most ambitious and rewarding albums of the year, in any genre."

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