NESTOR LOUIS
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MUSIC CRITIC
There's no reason for this record not to successfully reach the shores of Europe and South America. Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru remain bastions of glory to many of our heroes. In some cases these are places where hits by Barretto, Roena, and Betancourt are discovered with much fanfare as if they're new - just ask The LeBron Brothers, they are salsa deities. And so, as any savvy business person would do, producer Ernie Acevedo, whose production quality continues to improve by leaps and bounds, once again raids the musical coffers of Sonora Ponceña, Johnny Pacheco and others with impunity to put out a strong record for Sol. With eleven tracks, some of which sound like they were done in a previous era, there are enough musical nuggets that may appeal to a wide audience; including the ever so coveted American English speaking audience. "Impossible" is, by far, the best tune in the record and should serve as great template to follow should Rene Leyva, the tune's arranger, ever decide to return to producing in this post-RMM, post-Sergio George, post- music industry world again. The overall record is hard hitting and noticeably of higher quality when compared to previous Ernie Acevedo records. Also, the vocal coaching, pronunciation, and general Spanish grammar has vastly improved - thus improving the odds of success outside NYC and the US. As for Sol, the girl can sing and as she gains more experience should be able to carve out a spot in the female salsa realm if she desires; or as long as the industry continues to ignore Choco Orta.
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