CD Reviews: El Cantante - Hector Lavoe and Marc Anthony

Even though the pre-release buzz about the film El Cantante has not been particularily good, I was optimistic and excited to see the movie depicting the life of salsa great Hector Lavoe. Okay, so some early reviewers didn't like it, too much Puchi (Jennifer Lopez) and not enough Hector (Marc Anthony). But a movie about Lavoe during the birth and triumphant rise of salsa couldn't be that bad, could it? And then there would be the music.


I walked out of El Cantante absolutely furious. There was a reason that Hector Lavoe was so beloved by his many fans, but watching this film, it's difficult to figure out what that reason might be. Musical scenes are cut short so that we can watch Lavoe shoot-up (again) and just as the music starts heating up, the camera pans to Puchi wiggling in the wings. So irritating!

But hey, don't take my word for it. Lavoe contemporaries and Fania salsa artists Ismael Miranda (he plays Lavoe's father in the film) and Cheo Feliciano have both protested the movie's drug focus. They were joined in that sentiment by Domingo Quinones, who played Lavoe off-Broadway in Quien Mato A Hector Lavoe? and also had a small part in the current film.

The loudest shot was fired by salsa icon Willie Colon, Lavoe's friend and producer for 20 years. Here's a direct quote from a message Colon posted last week at a Latin jazz forum:

"The creators of El Cantante missed an opportunity to do something of relevance for our community. The real story was about Hector fighting the obstacles of a non-supportive industry that took advantage of entertainers with his charisma and talent. Instead they did another movie about two Puerto Rican junkies."

On the bright side, the music was great. There was an especially wonderful musical moment where Ruben Blades (played by a disguised Victor Manuelle) sings "El Cantante" before handing the song he had written over to Lavoe.

Both the El Cantante soundtrack and El Cantante: The Originals came out last month, and I thought it would be interesting to review the two albums together.

You know, I wonder if the movie would be better with your eyes shut?

Interview with Marc Anthony about the making of El Cantante