Antecedente is an album by the Panamanian musician Rubén Blades (credited with Son del Solar), released in 1988.[2][3] The album was often reviewed with La Pistola y El Corazón, by Los Lobos, which also was a return-to-roots effort.[4][5]
| Antecedente | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1987–1988 | |||
| Genre | Salsa | |||
| Length | 39:03 | |||
| Label | Elektra[1] | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Rubén Blades chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album won a Grammy Award for "Best Tropical Latin Performance".[6] It peaked at No. 8 on Billboard's Tropical Albums chart.[7]
Production
editThe album was produced by Blades. His backing band changed its name from Seis del Solar to Son del Solar, with trombones replacing some of the synthesizer parts.[8] Antecedente marked a return to salsa for Blades, who had remarked that he did not like how older studio recording techniques made the music sound.[9]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [1] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [12] |
Robert Christgau wrote that "Blades augments a revamped, renamed Seis del Solar with salsa trombones and begets a dance album for the people of Panama."[11] Trouser Press deemed the album "rewardingly rootsy."[13] The St. Petersburg Times called it "a hot-blooded, no-nonsense salsa-style record brimming with gliding Latin rhythms, layers of punchy percussion and a relentless two-trombone backdrop—all topped off by Blades' plucky tenor."[14] The New York Times determined that "the music is full of life, trading away letter-perfect period authenticity for heartfelt spirit."[4]
The Washington Post considered the songs to be "not the fast, dizzying dance workouts of the barrio dance halls but a more sinuous sound that can accommodate both his evocative lyrics and his hypnotic syncopation."[15] The Globe and Mail labeled the album "a collection of dance tunes that forgo his usual political commentary for songs of love—of women, neighborhood and country."[5]
AllMusic called the album a "return to exuberant, dance-oriented salsa."[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Juana Mayo (A Woman's Name)" | |
| 2. | "Noches Del Ayer (Caledonia Nights)" | |
| 3. | "Tas Caliente (You're Hot)" | |
| 4. | "Nuestro Adiós (Our Farewell)" | |
| 5. | "La Marea (The Tide)" | |
| 6. | "Nacer de Tí (Born from You)" | |
| 7. | "Contrabando (Contraband)" | |
| 8. | "Plaza Herrera (Herrera Plaza)" | |
| 9. | "Patria (Motherland)" |
References
edit- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 118.
- ^ Habell-Pallan, Michelle; Romero, Mary (June 1, 2002). Latino/a Popular Culture. NYU Press.
- ^ Nichols, Elizabeth Gackstetter; Robbins, Timothy R. (July 28, 2015). Pop Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean. ABC-CLIO.
- ^ a b Pareles, Jon (6 Nov 1988). "Crossover and Cross Back: You Can Go Home Again". The New York Times. p. A28.
- ^ a b Dafoe, Chris (17 Nov 1988). "Antecedente Ruben Blades La Pistola y El Corozon Los Lobos". The Globe and Mail. p. C3.
- ^ "Rubén Blades". Grammy Awards. December 15, 2020.
- ^ "Rubén Blades". Billboard.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 655.
- ^ a b Moon, Tom (6 Nov 1988). "Blades, Los Lobos Return to the Past". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. K14.
- ^ a b "Antecedente". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Rubén Blades y Seis del Solar". Robert Christgau.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 64.
- ^ "Rubén Blades". Trouser Press. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Snider, Eric (11 Dec 1988). "Ruben Blades returns to roots for a hot-blooded salsa album". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2F.
- ^ "Ruben Blades Back to Salsa Roots". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 December 2021.