Marvin Santiago - Adentro (1981)

This is one of Marvin Santiago's landmark recordings. Partially recorded live at Bayamón Regional Prison (where Santiago himself was serving time), Santiago, then an inmate of the facility, managed to perform some of his most atmospheric (and moving) songs. "Nostalgia" is a particularly poignant moment; most of the material shows Santiago at his most thoughtful, and tunes like "La Libertad," "Auditorio Azul," "Fuego al Cubo," and "Mi Vecindario" combine elements of yearning and a descriptive, highly subjective commentary of life in prison. The arrangements are by Louis García, Ernesto "Tito" Rivera, Ray Santos, and Jorge Millet (among his final recording efforts before his untimely passing). Classic Santiago, this LP was long out of print before it was deservingly reissued on CD.~José A. Estévez, Jr.