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Ok...so I promise that this will be the last music-related blog posting from su servidor. But in a failing economy and constant bombardment of bad news, music always seem to be a place where both hope and reality can co-exist.

I was raised on calle ocho, in a place we called el Duarte. And while Calle 13 has a similar name to my beloved home, it is their lyrical content and music that has me listening to them constantly and not the similarity of their name to my stomping grounds.

Yes there's some adult language, yes there are some oxymorons (mostly intended) and yes Residente and Visitante are outlaws from Puerto Rico, but "Los the Atras vienen Conmigo" is perhaps one of the best musical productions of the year in the landscape of musica Latina.

The lead single, "Nadie como tu" is quite the love song, unlike the group's previous singles. It's also laced with a long list of things that contrast, and yet seem alike. After which Residente makes the assertion, "No hay nadie como tu mi amor". 

But the crown jewel of their third album is "La Perla." A standout track that could have been included in any of the many Fania All-Stars compilations with it's familiar use of horns, background singers and the legendary Ruben Blades (now the minister of tourism in Panamá) who blends right in and even raps a few bars. The song is a homage to the simple nature of the life in the caribbean, among other things.

I personally can't get the chorus out of my head as it reminds me of living in the house of my abuelita that sits 3 blocks away from the atlantic ocean in Puerto Plata.

 "Allá abajo, en el hueco, en el boquete, nacen flores por ramillete. Casitas de colores con la ventana abierta, vecina de la playa, puerta con puerta. Si yo tengo de to', no me falta na', tengo la noche que me sirve de sabana." 

Other standout tracks include "Ven y criticame" "Gringo Latin Funk" and the Title track. The latter serves both as a statement by Residente and Visitante that their roots stay with them and their plans to not sell out to the pressures of pop life. Three albums in, I don't think either of them are showing signs of doing otherwise.  

So whether your family just got here 1 generation ago or your roots in the US go back more than a 13 generations, there is something in "Los de atras vienen conmigo" for you.

Posted by Maurel Merette at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)