Reggaetón -- an infectious mixture of hip-hop, dancehall reggae, club grooves and Latin rhythms -- has become incredibly popular in the Spanish-speaking world. And just as countless English-speaking R&B and pop stars have been going out of their way to feature rappers on their albums, more and more Latin pop artists have been acknowledging reggaetón -- which is what
Noelia does on
Melao. This hip-hop-drenched effort is a major departure from the Puerto Rican singer's previous albums, which favored a sleek, smooth, polished style of Latin pop that occasionally ventured into salsa romantica/tropical territory; occasionally,
Noelia has been described as a female equivalent of
Marc Anthony. But those
Anthony comparisons seldom apply on this 2004 release, which finds her collaborating with two male Puerto Rican hip-hoppers: DJ Eric (who produced the album) and
Yamil. Eric and
Yamil are much more than mere guests on
Melao; they play an incredibly prominent role on this CD -- so prominent, in fact, that
Noelia pretty much ends up taking a back seat on her own album. Eric and
Yamil do the most to shape
Melao's personality -- and when
Noelia sings, she comes across as a backing vocalist who is supporting the male rapping.
Melao doesn't feel like "
Noelia with special guests DJ Eric and
Yamil -- more like a DJ Eric and
Yamil project with backing vocals by
Noelia. And while those whose introduction to
Noelia was 2000's
Golpeando Fuerte or 2003's
Natural may find that to be problematic,
Melao isn't a bad album by any means. The grooves are generally infectious, and
Noelia's excursion into Latin pop-rap and reggaetón is enjoyable -- even if
Melao does feel like more of a DJ Eric/
Yamil disc than a true
Noelia album. ~ Alex Henderson