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The first-ever full length set from Bronx River Parkway – a wonderful blend of Latin and funk styles that follows beautifully from their strong run of funky 45s! The groove here is sort of a deeper, dirtier take on the Fania sound of the 70s – almost a re-imagining of the late 60s Latin Soul vibe, pretending that it still held on strongly through the following decade – and picked up all sort of weird little twists, turns, and unusual instrumental elements! The group's ties to the El Michels Affair show strongly at points – no surprise, as Leon Michels is in both groups, and produced this set – but the sound is nicely different too, with a bit more of an east coast Latin vibe. Wonderful stuff overall – and proof that the right corners of the deep funk underground still know how to keep things fresh! Titles include "Song For Ray", "Agua Con Sal", "La Valla", "El Resbalon", "San Sebastian 152", "Me Toca", "Mi Corazon", "Para Los Rumberos", "Donde", and "Nora Se Ve".

Sweet Latin grooves from Bronx River Parkway – two great numbers back to back! "Aqua Con Sal" has a soulful stepping bassline at the bottom – one that sets the groove with almost a bit of early 70s west coast Latin – in contrast to the more New York-sounding horns on the top! Vocals are held to a minimum, and the cut's also got a nice percussion bit in the middle! "Me Toca" is nice and mellow too – slowly snapping timbales, bits of bass and keyboards, and a Malo-styled soulful vocal in Spanish!

Quite possibly the heaviest groove we've heard to date from Bronx River Parkway – a tune that snaps out with a stark little break on the beginning – really crackling with a heavy funk energy, but also sharing a bit of Wu-Tang like piano in the background! As the tune rolls on, the record picks up a bit more of a Latin flourish on the horns and vocals – setting the scene for the mellower "Nora Se Va" on the flipside – a jazzy laidback number with piano darting out nicely underneath Spanish language vocals!

A great little set from salsa legend Sammy Ayala – an original member of the 50s born Cortijo Y Su Combo orchestra of Puerto Rico – singing warmly and wonderfully on this excellent self-titled set on the Candela label! An all star roster of modern producers and players indebted to Sammy and his style contribute – include Quantic, Nicodemus, Truth & Soul combo Bronx River Parkway, Mo'Horizons and others – but this feels like the work of an old school master, as it should. Timeless stuff and a worthy effort by all! Titles include "Otra Vez", "Invitacion Al Salon", "Corazon" feat Bronx River Parkway, "El La San Sebastian" feat Mo'Horizons, "Huellas De La Ilusion" and more.