Top New Releases - July, 2007

Marc Anthony - El Cantante - 7/24
The biopic El Cantante, depicting the life of Hector Lavoe and starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, is due to be released August 3rd. Soundtracks are usually released after the film; the thinking is you'll hear a soundtrack you like and rush out to buy a score that has either impressed you musically or will be evocative of a 2-hour experience that you'll want to revisit in your head - as you wait for the DVD to come out.

In a departure from normal marketing practices, Picturehouse is releasing the soundtrack about 10 days before the movie's general release date. A wise marketing move because, whether or not the film lives up to its hype, there's no doubt in my mind that the combo of Marc Anthony's voice and Hector Lavoe's songs will be a winner that can only draw more music fans to theater seats.

Hector Lavoe - El Cantante: The Originals - 7/3
Not to be outdone by Picturehouse, Emusica, owner of the Fania catalogue, has issued an identical track list to the Anthony soundtrack. If you're a music historian or simply curious, you can buy both albums and compare/contrast technique. This album is directly aimed at the movie, because it is NOT Hector Lavoe's famous El Cantante recording, which was also rereleased this year.


B-Side Players - Fire in the Youth - 7/10 B-Side Players is a global music group with a serious Latin bend, fusing different varieties of Latin music with funk, hip hop, rock, jazz, reggae and lots of other interesting combinations. This is the group's 8th album, and it soars with passionate (and sometimes angry) lyrics plus the help of 'Quetzal' founder, Quetzal Flores. Watch the video, listen to the track and if you like urban fusion, you'll love B-Side Players.

Watch "Nuestras Demandas" for Windows Media
Watch "Nuestras Demandas" for Quicktime

Listen to "Fire in the Youth" for Windows Media
Listen to "Fire in the Youth" for Quicktime

Listen to "Alegria" for Windows Media
Listen to "Alegria" for Quicktime