Reggaeton is somewhat of a guilty pleasure. I know I shouldn’t like it, I know it’s not good music, but then again there is just something about it. Sangre Latina’s ‘Regaetoson’ is as good an example as any of this phenomenon.

The arrangements are all rather simplistic, vocal styles questionable and it is incredibly cheesy. For the most part the infectious, pounding basslines are enough to hold your attention but sometimes it all just gets a bit much. The synth heavy ‘Regresa a mi’ is like a comedown from the 80s (in Spanish of course) while ‘A chirona’ sounds like someone getting rather excited by the demo settings on their new Yamaha keyboard.

Reggaeton is of course music to be danced to and that is where this album does well. Its opener ‘Todo Esta Bien’ manages to mix an elegant piano melody with some quick-fire lyrics and the budget speaker blowing bassline of reggaeton. The slower, bouncy ‘Ven a La Disco’ is a call to dance and a rather convincing one at that.

Sangre Latina (Yúnior Pérez Herrera, Leodan García Benítez, Raciel de la Rosa Menendez and Yaniet Lazar Piedro Flores) hail from Cuba and are an experiment in combining the old and new sounds of their homeland. Reggaeton has been sweeping the country since the early 90s with its mixture of hip hop, reggae and dancehall, while son, a combination of Spanish and African sounds, has been captivating the island for centuries. On ‘Se fue con otro’ the experiment proves successful but elsewhere the results are questionable.

Reggeaton may be the ‘now’ sound of Cuba’s streets but it is hard to see this taking off in England. Reggaetoson is a mixed bag; there are some hidden gems but it’s not an easy listen.

‘Raggaetoson’ is released though the UK based Latin-American label Tumi Music.

Links:
www.tumimusic.com