Llego...Van Van

If you have any trouble jumpstarting the fun at your next party, throw on Llego... Van Van--or just about any other Los Van Van CD for that matter. This 15-piece ensemble is back celebrating its 30th anniversary of togetherness while packing another album with its signature high-energy Cuban salsa, mixing traditional Latin melodies into contemporary originals that wander into funk and jazz territory. Listeners can ever rely on Los Van Van for letting it all hang out in thriving timbales and percussion, blazing horn lines, flittering flute, and roaring vocals with infectious call-and-response chant. And this album is simply no exception. Leader Juan Formell puts forth such playful songs as "Temba, Tumba y Timba" and "Mi Chocolate" along with red-hot jams featuring luscious solos, as the piano, timbales, and trombone attest on "Consuelate Como Yo." There's also a glittering parade of singers here--including Roberto Hernandez, Mario Rivera, and Pedro Calvo--who seamlessly slide the mic back and forth to lead the rousing, throbbing festival, which, thankfully, lasts for a solid 60 minutes. --Karen Karleski