I didn’t know what to expect when I bought Victor Manuelle’s new CD “Una Navidad a Mi Estilo”, other than that there was Christmas themed songs. I must admit that I fascinated about the album possibly being a modern rendition of what Lavoe did back in the day with the two parter “Asalto Navideño”. So I probably set myself up for disappointment at that point, lol, but surprisingly overall the album was pretty good.

For the most part, the album consist of Salsa songs with the lyrical themes and coros of the traditional Puerto Rican parranda. Each of the Salsa tracks have an intro with a parranda theme, which is different than your traditional Victor Manuelle CD. One of the songs, Yo Traigo la Parranda, makes a reference to old and new salsa artists and groups, as well as Reggaeton sensation Don Omar, and many other artist. I could do without the drunk that interrupts the song towards the end.

Two of the songs that stand out are straight up traditional songs. Los Polvos del Sahara and La Cama Cortita are both authentic parranda songs. You can even smell the pasteles when these songs are played! Staying true to his roots, the larger coros include women and beats that make it impossible for you to sit still while listening to them. The songs even follow a form of the Puerto Rican décima. Finally we have a mainstream Salsa artist give notary to the traditional music of his homeland!

One of my favorite songs on the albums comes in an unlikely style. Son de Parranda is just that, a parranda song in the style of the traditional Cuban Son. Victor’s harmonies in each of the verses in this song is addicting. Maybe I am a closet Son fan, after all the only ringtone I’ve ever had for my cell has been Lavoe’s “El Son”. After the mesmerizing verses, Victor takes over in true sonero style; most true Salseros know that Victor is a master sonero, a style that is under appreciated in the modern Salsa era. This unlikely combo (Son/Parranda) completes the album by offering a different sound to your typical Salsa tracks. It even has a cuatro solo and this cool horn transition that follows, making the song perfect for dance competitions! You can almost see the style of the dance moves change for this small interlude.

The album would be a wonderful collection for Victor Manuelle fans for two reasons. This is Victors first Christmas themed album and it is his first album under the Machete Music label. On top of that, it is a wonderful album to show off to family and friends during the holidays. Wal-mart had it priced on sale this past weekend, however, since they do not organize the Musica Latina section it is almost impossible to find (at least at the one on Galena Blvd in Aurora, IL).

Rating: Buy on Sale

Tags: a mi estilo, aguinaldo, navidad, parranda, Victor Manuelle

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 18th, 2007 at 9:33 pm and is filed under Folkloric, Puerto Rico, Reviews, Salsa. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.