Long a rare, highly valued album,
My Latin Soul swings confidently in and out of both Latin soul (boogaloo) and Latin jazz. While drummer Bobby Matos' singing is not equal to that of many of his peers, he does carry off both slow ballads ("Te Adoro a Ti") as well as more predictable dance-crowd fare, such as "Hip, Cool, and Groovy" (which nevertheless is a Latin-soul landmark). The ostensible boogaloo "La Cosa de Ritchie" quickly erupts into a jazzy descarga. The cover of "One Mint Julep" is a welcome surprise, offering as it does a slight reprieve from the Kenny Burrell Octet's masterful bossa nova version.
My Latin Soul may not be the best anything, but it does excel at nearly everything; Matos' debut album has hit-single potential, is dud-free and serves up enough top Latin, jazz and soul to please every listener. ~ Tony Wilds