HOT SALSA : Mangu

CD selection :

Mangu
(Island ;1998)

Sample from
Calle luna, calle sol
in
Mangu

Buy it !

Today's salsa cross-breeds a lot. Quite natural, all the young Latinos in the ring, and in particular those living in the USA, are also weltering in other musical waters.

And here is Mangu, at the head of a first quality album. The little chap with a little hat already has the makings of the greatests : a know-how in the styles he likes (salsa, rap, ragga, sometimes acid jazz), and a concern for not giving up quality for the fashion of the day.

The Dominican kid brought up in the Bronx leaves New York for Miami in 1989. From his meeting with Joe Galdo (the Miami Sound Machine producer) springs up a first single in 1993, Playa. This title is reproduced on the album Mangu, of which it is undoubtedly the weakest song.

For the remainder of the record is of another calibre : Calle Luna Calle Sol (taken from Willie Colon) strains with rap the natural tension of the song ; Sin Ti unfolds a silky acid jazz evoking Gang Starr ; Sexy invites the Jamaican "toaster" Beenie Man, heavyweight of the actual ragga ; and on Singin' my song, a pure R&B pearl, Mangu chats with Betty Wright, a great soul voice under the sky, under the kindly wing of Johnny Pacheco.

In short, a various and rich recording, where some excellent hits should not overshadow less direct songs, entirely revealed after some listenings.

Just one more thing : the artist made his début on the hip-hop stages of New York, there he learned the showmanship that gives such great effectiveness to his concerts. The artist has more than one string to his bow and, you bet, more than one trick up his sleeve : we make an appointment with the 2nd album, for the follow-up.

MANGU USA Salsa-rap for a taut and urban music, closer to ragga than rap.