Daddy Yankee - Barrio Fino (CD)

All Music Guide

After steadily increasing regional success during the early 2000s, Daddy Yankee exchanged his crossover potential for fullfledged fame in 2004 with the release of "Gasolina." The song became an international hit, from Latin America to the United States to Europe, in the process becoming the most widely recognizable reggaeton song of the year that is, the token sound of reggaeton to those generally unfamiliar with the muy caliente Puerto Rican export. Driven by the runaway popularity of "Gasolina" both in clubs and on urban radio, Barrio Fino became the first reggaeton album to debut at number one on Billboard's Latin chart, where it subsequently remained firmly lodged for dozens of weeks (about a year, more or less, as it remained atop the chart far into 2005). And rightfully so, as the album captures everything fresh and exciting about the burgeoning reggaeton style circa 2004. Sure, there's "Gasolina" and its supercatchy shelikestopartymucho hook: "Le gusta la gasolina (dame mas ga...solina)/Como le encanta la gasolina (dame mas gasolina)." But there's so much more than that, namely a halfdozen or so other finely crafted songs with similar mass appeal, among them "Dale Caliente," "No Me Dejes Solo," "Like You," "Lo Que Paso, Paso," and "Tu Principe" (pretty much the first half of the album, as the proceedings admittedly begin to get a bit tiresome from there on out). While Daddy Yankee delivers the exuberant, swaggering, lyrical performance longtime fans had come to expect from him, it's the tailormade productions that make Barrio Fino so appealing. Blessed with the support of firstrate reggaeton producers like Luny Tunes, Yankee serves up standout after standout, often with the aid of young and sexysounding female backup vocalists on the hooks, which provides that extra touch of sexual charge that is arguably the stockintrade of reggaeton (and if you're particularly fond of such material, note the especially charged "¿Que Vas a Hacer?"). After all, this is party music through and through best enjoyed in the context of a dark, drunken dance club where the temperature is hot, the night is long and the crowd is funloving which is why, despite its widespread success, it won't appeal to everyone. For instance, in terms of reggaeton the music here is relatively lite and a bit oriented toward the dance crowd. If you're looking for roughandtough urban regional music, you're advised instead to look toward the likes of Tego Calderón, Control Machete, VicoC, or Akwid. However, if you're looking for more music along the lines of "Gasolina," look no further. - Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Read more Less