Profile: Tego Calderon - "El Abayarde"

Of all the reggaeton artists that Puerto Rico is sending our way, my favorite is Tego Calderon. I like the way his music is seldom predictable, using different instrumentation than we've come to expect, blending reggaeton, hip-hop, salsa, blues, bomba, rumba - well, you get the idea. His music is a little eclectic, and I like that quality.

Calderon's newest album, The Underdog / El Subestimado, is due out next week (August 29), and if the single "Los Mate" is anything like the rest of the album, it's bound to be full of surprises.

The album's advance press advises that The Underdog will have 22 tracks (who does 22 tracks these days?) and feature collaborations with Buju Banton, Voltio, Yandel, Don Omar and legendary salsa singer Oscar D'Leon. The Underdog might well be an album worth an extra trek to the record store - or a download for those challenged by out-of-the-house experiences.