Content area
Full Text
In 2006, reggaetn mania persisted, this time in the form of duets featuring star MCs and major salsa and pop performers, leading to the long-awaited urbanification of Latin music. Also key this year: Calle 13's debut (released last year and on the 2005 list) and the massive Fania catalog re-release, which rejuvenates the classics of the '70s.
1. Brian Lynch and Eddie Palmieri, "Simptico." Lynch and Palmieri's coterie of jazz and Afro-Caribbean players are among the best New York has to offer. Released independently, "Simptico" is at once a thoughtful, reverential treatment of "la msica" as it is forward-looking and edgy.
2. Los Cocorocos. Gallego's intro says it all: Los Cocorocos is a new identity with roots in the old, and there's nothing strange about being a fan of both salsa and reggaetn. Despite its "pairing of the stars" format (Tego Caldern and Victor Manuelle; Don Omar and Gilberto Santa Rosa),...