The Bottom Line
Pros
- Good, solid salsa tracks performed by great artists
- No filler tracks on this compilation
- Collection aimed at a general audience
Cons
- Not a lot of diversity of style, rhythm
- Collection aimed at a general audience
Description
- 10 tracks of traditional salsa performed by various artists
- Tracks by Eddie Palmieri, Cheo Feliciano, Jose Conde, Chico Alvarez and more
- Released March 2009 by Putumayo
Guide Review - Review: 'Putumayo Presents Salsa'
If ever you could label a salsa album ‘easy listening,’ the latest in Putumayo’s Latin collection might qualify. Putumayo Presents Salsa! contains 10 tracks of solid, straightforward salsa, each entry recorded by a well-known artist in the genre.
There’s enough spice on these numbers to heat-up the blood of salsa aficionados but the album’s real strength is in the selection of approachable, danceable tracks that will also appeal to a novice or more mainstream audience.
The list of artists is notable. Grupo Gale and Fruko y Sus Tesos offer a taste of infectious salsa from Colombia while Los Angeles-based Poncho Sanchez and Ricardo Lemvo/Makina Loca deliver the flavor that’s heating-up the west coast. New York’s blazing Latin music scene is ably represented by Chico Alvarez, Son Boricua and Jose Conde/Ola Fresca.
As a topping on this feel-good salsa confection, there’s entertainment by a couple of legends: Eddie Palmieri and Cheo Feliciano with Cuba’s Orquesta Aragon.
Putumayo Presents Salsa! may not be at the cutting-edge of the innovation and fusion that is currently redefining salsa, but that’s also what makes the album noteworthy. Here’s a bread & butter salsa album consisting of quality tracks ensuring that those in need of a more traditional salsa experience will be well served.
It’s also the perfect album to serve as an introduction to the genre. Give one to a friend an watch them join you on the dance floor.