¡Saoco! Vol 2

With its subtitle, Bomba, Plena and the Roots of Salsa in Puerto Rico 1955¬1967, this second big Vampisoul sampler tries to grab the salsa market by the neck. But this proto-roots music is far richer than a lot of what came out of New York in the 70s. Puerto Rico was a fertile breeding ground for wild, Afro-tinged rhythms and big, bold bands playing to packed houses. The groups represented here, such as Cortijo y su Combo and Mon Rivera y su Orquesta, and singers like Ismael Rivera and Guajiro González, played a driving, delectable swing music. The beat was fast and relentless, the brass decadent, the choruses sounding like voodoo chants. Listening to the album from start to finish is akin to a live night out by a single band that occasionally changes its soloist. Some singers stand out, however, such as Odilio González, who sounds like a suave street urchin on ‘El Paquetero’, and Mon Rivera, who showcases his extraordinary tongue-twisting style on ‘A Papa Cuando Venga’. Superb fun.