Bachata Rosa

Dominican singer, composer, and bandleader Juan Luis Guerra is one of the few true innovators in contemporary Latin music. He created a revolution when he reinvented traditional merengue with smart, poetic lyrics, jazz harmonies, and higher production values. In Bachata Rosa he similarly updated the lowly bachata, the rural, Dominican down-home version of the romantic ballad. Songs such as "Estrellitas y Duendes (Little Stars and Goblins)," "Como Abeja al Panal (Like a Bee to the Beehive)," "Burbujas de Amor (Love Bubbles)," and the title track revisit the old love themes with rare grace and subtle poetic flair. Meanwhile "Rosalia," "Cartas de Amor," and "A Pedir Su Mano" (in which Guerra hints at the connections between Dominican and African music which he pursued in subsequent albums) provide superb dance floor tracks. The result was a commercial and artistic success and with good reason. --Fernando Gonzalez