Since
Fania began remastering and reissuing its vast catalog on CD, and putting together some of the most killer compilations of Latin jams ever heard, they've discovered an entirely new audience than the beatheads who could seldom find the original albums. Spread over two discs, containing 26 monster jams, this is all-killer, no-filler. Disc one is identical to the 2006 double-disc compilation
The Essential Ray Barretto: A Man and His Music. It relies heavily on Latin soul and boogaloo material. It commences with "El Watusi" from
Charanga Moderna, and "El Bantu" from On Fire Again. The title jam from
Señor 007 is here (despite the fact that it's an album
Barretto didn't particularly like, it's a smoking tune). There are a couple of tracks from the classic
Acid -- his first album on
Fania proper -- "Soul Drummers" and the monster freak-out title track. Disc two differs from the
Essential Ray Barretto in that it contains three less tracks. The reasoning appears to be that instead of offering a portrait of
Barretto's diversity in the '70s and '80s as he branched out into Latin jazz, fusion, and funk, the second disc hones in on what the great conguero did best: hard salsa. Some of the highlights are "Indestructible," "Guararé," "Guaguancó Bonito," and Quítate La Mascara." As awesome as this set is, it simply introduces the man's work. What we really need is a three-or four-disc collection, digging deeper into all of the music
Barretto played as a leader and with
the Fania All-Stars.
Anthology is a nice update to
The Essential Ray Barretto, but it's not an essential purchase for anyone who already possesses the earlier compilation. ~ Thom Jurek