Paquito Guzmán - Escucha Mi Canción (1975)

Paquito Guzmán, in this recording, indulges himself in that oddity of the tropical world -- ballads -- way before any salsa singer (at that time, it was almost not tried out) attempted the internationally viable genre. Thanks to Héctor Garrido's lush arrangements, Paquito Guzmán excels in this classy production, his most iconoclastic in those years. Among the guilty pleasures are "Peligro" (by tunesmith Roberto Angleró), "Arranque de Ira" (by C. Curet Alonso), "Pasional," and "Ahora" (written by ballad singer Teddy Trinidad). A few chestnuts from Brazilian extraction (Denis Brean's "Raíces" and Lupicinio Rodrigues' "Ejemplo") are quite enjoyable. A noted change of pace, it is still requested in Guzmán's tours and public performances.~José A. Estévez, Jr.