Republica Dominicana

Alongside son and merengue, Republica Dominicana tightly focuses on the unmined treasure of bachata music: a particular style of Cuban music featuring intense African percussion, wily ringing guitar, and exotic Iberian-flavored melody. First on the bandwagon of what's sure to be an international explosion, Putumayo brings a fresh and exciting sound to fans of Afro-pop, Cuban, and various Latin music. A sampler rather than a cumulative compilation, Republica Dominicana highlights genre superstars from Juan Luis Guerra to Chichi Peralta and stylistic forefather Ramon Cordero, offering the listener choice cuts from which to further explore bachata and its relations. As with all the label's releases, this disc comes with extensive and finely detailed liner notes. The other side of the coin, in a manner, Republica Dominicana in its contrast of dark and light is especially recommended for fans of 1999's Putumayo Presents Cape Verde. --Paige La Grone