Search - Willie Colon :: Y Vuelve Otra Vez!

"Y Vuelve Otra Vez." (One More Time!)

Erick Dominguez | Panama | 02/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For the title of his new record, el malo del Bronx, Willie Colón used the battle cry that the late great Héctor LaVoe proclaimed in that standard Barrunto: "Y Vuelve Otra Vez." (One More Time!)



Willie challenges us again with aggressive, melodic salsa, with everyday themes, humanistic, latino- americano, but with musical variety. This is confirmed by cuts like Me Pegue en la lotería, Cayo Condón, Candidato de la ingenuidad, Parada 22, that anxiously wait to be listened to.



We must remember that the first song that Colón recorded as a singer was the torch song Guaracha, from the Good Bad Ugly album in 1975, where Rubén Blades debuted at his side. Musically, he debuted in a symphonic format on the Solo album, where the instrumental Chinacubana appeared, he sang Juancito, Sin poderte and revived the bolero Mentiras tuyas. He went on to the modern charanga sound (i.e. Tiempo pa' matar, Fantasmas and Criollo albums) and later on to other electronic inclinations (Especial No 5 y Top Secrets, that brought us Simón, El gran varón).



As of late, he has returned to an acoustic approach, using his trademark as a base: the trombone.



But before he decided to sing as a soloist, el Malo del Bronx was already considered one of the best background singers in salsa and perhaps also the best second voice. Those who have heard him on Buscando Guayaba and Te Están Buscando with Rubén Blades, easily come to this conclusion.



In 1993, his production Hecho en Puerto Rico (that includes the heart rendering son montuno Cueste lo que cueste and the la very successful Idilio) was nominated for the Grammy.



Actually its merits more than justified winning the Academy of Recording Arts & Science's coveted award. But in the end, the name Gloria Estefan carried more weight with the American public.



Y vuelve otra vez, contains the song No me fío (Huellas del pasado), where Ángel "Cucco" Peña accompanies him (the same second voice from Idilio). Furthermore, loyal to his roots he incursions into typical Puerto Rican music on Borinquen Parada 22, where he features Pedro Guzmán on the cuatro guitar.



The invited guests are bassist Bobby Valentín (of the Fania Allstars) and on the coros a formidable crew of distinguished talent: Darvel García of Conjunto Canayón, Chegui Ramos of Batacumbele, the young singer Wichie Camacho and the extraordinary sonero Tito Allen, known for his hit Feliz y dichoso.



Producer, composer, trombonist and arranger, Willie Colón is still a force to reckon with 30 year since his appearance on the salsa scene. As a sonero of nasal, baritoned voice, he's had the luxury of many hits : Corazón guerrero (based on Dire Straights, Mark Knopfler's Sultans of Swing), Oh que sera, Gitana and Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblón. It's about a unique, inimitable voice. Y vuelve otra vez is a "must have", as a vaccination against the apathetic salsa (flacid and wanting of musical value) that governs our airwaves, but not our hearts. !Guapea Willie Colón!

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