El rey ha regresado ('The king has returned')
Published June 6, 2007
After the release of his hit 2005 album Barrio Fino, with its infectious singles packed with spitfire Spanish lyrics and bounce-like-hydraulics beats, it seemed Puerto Rican reggaeton king Daddy Yankee would need much effort to outdo his previous material. His Scott Storch-produced follow-up, El Cartel: The Big Boss, weighs in at a heaping 21 tracks and a running time of 80 minutes, which makes for a big, brash and booty-shaking return to the limelight.
The album opens with the Diaz Brothers-produced "Jefe," a rallying cry heavy on shuffling claps and snare rolls. Daddy Yankee spits punchy, bilingual lyrics with boldness and a strong presence. On the track's refrain, he gives shout-outs to both U.S. cities and Latin- American countries, reinforcing his place among Latin-pop royalty with the refrain of "the king is back."
Unlike Barrio Fino, which kept its focus almost exclusively on the reggaeton style, Daddy Yankee employs his friends in the pop mainstream for collaborations to give his style a diverse makeover. But how many of them actually worked? Let's find out:
Track: "Papi Lover"
Special guest star: Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls
Scherzinger serves no special purpose on the surface and is the generic American R&B singer here. But her presence actually does do quite a bit to enhance the song. Her airy, delicate voice over slinky belly-dance beats and Middle-Eastern instrumentation complements the hip-hop verses for a sexy, sultry party track.
Scherzinger's presence works well to prove the versatility of Daddy Yankee as a performer, brings his original style and flair to a new and different setting and makes it work well.
Verdict: Upgrade
Track: "Bring It On"
Special guest star: Akon
Normally, collaboration fares well for Akon, but here his contrived "whoa-ohs" over stereotypical melodramatic hip-hop beats seem out of place. The track itself isn't terrible, but it seems as though Akon is trying to upstage Daddy Yankee, and thus, much of the distinctive Latin flavor that makes the album so successful is watered down. And if you listen to the refrain, you'll notice how much Akon sounds like Weezer's Rivers Cuomo at times.
Verdict: Downgrade
Track: "Plane To PR"
Special Guest Star: Will.i.am
Like the Akon track, the house-inspired "Plane to PR," featuring The Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am, is a significant deviation from the original reggaeton style. Yet Will.i.am. knows how to share a track, and the blend between pop styles is effective and fun. Though the repetition of the track can be kind of grating, the looping Spanglish rap is catchy and a promising summer dance party track.
Verdict: Upgrade
Track: "Impacto (Remix)"
Special Guest Star: Fergie
The second Black Eyed Pea to appear on the album is arguably America's most incontinent pop star, Fergie. Surprisingly enough, though, she's not that bad. Instead, the most annoying part of this track is the synthesized voice over the refrain, which sounds like it is straight out of "Mr. Roboto."
Fergie is used sparingly here and only comes in on the refrain, still giving the spotlight to Daddy Yankee, who rhymes here at the top of his game with ease and speed. The duet on the refrain, which is in English, expertly engages the non-Spanish-speaking listener and complements the Spanish verses well. Fergie keeps the crazed, pounding energy of the track going enough to give it potential to be the party single of the summer.
Verdict: Upgrade
Despite some strong moments in the collaborations, many of the album's celebrity cameos upstage the bold reggaeton flavor.
Though he has proven himself to be a versatile performer on his new album, it is when Daddy Yankee sticks to his original style (like on the frantic solo version of "Impacto" or the harmony-heavy refrains of "A lo Clasico," one of the strongest tracks on the album ) that the booty-shaking reaches critical mass.