Sonando Rico is an exuberant collection of salsa, son, and Cuban jazz numbers that backs up its energetic cover shot with summery, street-smart grooves. The set includes performances from
Los Van Van and
Grupo la Clave, as well as
NG La Banda, who turn in the romantic son ballad "Vuelo Paloma." It's the mildest track on the record, as the rest of
Sonando Rico really turns up the heat.
Grupo la Clave's "Palenque" is insistent with its horns and expressive lead vocal, while
Juan Carlos Alfonso and
Dan Den's "Approvechando La Cobertura" rattles along on a well-known, yet entirely fresh Latin rhythm. Alina Izquierdo joins
Grupo Clave for the album's best track, a relentlessly happy son version of
George Gershwin's "Summer Time."