Rating:
Genre:
Latin
Release Date: 06/05/2007
It took
Daddy Yankee a long time to follow up
Barrio Fino (2004), the most successful and influential
reggaeton album to date, but when he finally unveiled
El Cartel: The Big Boss three years later, the wait seemed worthwhile. It's a well-conceived album with a wealth of commercial potential. It not only pushes the hybrid
Latin style forward creatively; it also broadens
Daddy Yankee's appeal considerably, teaming him with
pop-rap household names like
Fergie and
Akon while playing down some of
Barrio Fino's Latino-specific lyrical themes in favor of potent club-bangers that are as conducive to body language as they are to Spanish. Admittedly, the three-year wait between
Barrio Fino and
El Cartel was eased by the December 2005 release of
Barrio Fino en Directo. That CD/DVD package served a few purposes, beyond functioning as a profitable stopgap released just in time for the holiday shopping season. For one, it signaled the beginning of
Daddy Yankee's relationship with
Interscope; previously, he'd relied on the major labels only for distribution. Secondly, it repackaged the hits from
Barrio Fino as live recordings, in the process showcasing
Daddy Yankee's ability as a live performer with a willingness to tour internationally. Perhaps most importantly, though,
Barrio Fino en Directo included a handful of strong new recordings -- including the singles
"Rompe" (a number one
Latin hit) and
"Machucando" (number two), along with bilingual collaborations with
Snoop Dogg (
"Gangsta Zone") and
Paul Wall (
"Machete Reloaded") -- that were a clear indication of what could be expected on
El Cartel. Indeed,
El Cartel is largely comprised of both potential hits and mainstream-crossover collaborations (
Fergie,
Akon,
will.i.am,
Nicole Scherzinger,
Scott Storch), with most of the latter also qualifying as the former. Highlights are numerous, and they're spread across the album: in particular, the nine-track stretch that extends from
"Fuera de Control" (the only
Luny Tunes production here, surprisingly) to
"Papi Lover" is a nonstop delight, though the three-song stretch near the end of the album including
"Corazón Divina," "Plane to PR," and
"Me Quedaria" also stands tall and closes the album on a satisfying note.
~Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
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