Singer Ruben Blades scored a big early moment of fame on the Siembra album by Willie Colon – and here, he works with the larger ensemble of Roberto Delgado to pay tribute to that classic record from the late 70s! The album's a live one, recorded before a very enthusiastic crowd in Puerto Rico – and the tracks are long, and maybe even have a sense of majesty that the original record never possessed – really righteous, soaring songs that show that Blades' voice hasn't dimmed at all over the years – set to instrumentation that's equally powerful as well! Titles include "Ligia Elena", "Dime", "Siembra", "El Cazanguero", "Buscando Guayaba", and "Plastico". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the same Candido that you might know from Salsoul Records or 50s Latin fame – and instead a younger percussionist who cut this legendary album for Joe Bataan's Ghetto Records label! The set's got a rootsy vibe that's mighty nice – right up there with the best of the Fania salsa scene at the start of the 70s – and Candido plays timbales in a group that also features two trumpets, tenor, and trombone – plus lots more piano, bass, and percussion! You might have heard Candido's percussion in the groups of Ricardo Ray or Randy Carlos, but here he's a hell of a leader on his own – on titles that include the mellow soul "Baby Doll", the jazzy "Something Smooth", and the cuts "Palos De Fuego", "Bochinches", "El Lobo", and "Mi Ritmo Cubano". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't let the title fool you, because it's similar to the album that Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz started off the 70s with – El Bestial Sonido – but the record's something quite different indeed! This set has Ricardo and Bobby exploring a more spiritual side of their music – one that's still socially conscious, and still plenty heavy on the Puerto Rican salsa of their fame – but one that also features all original material with themes of faith and redemption. Of course, if you're not a Spanish speaker, all you'll really notice is that the album's got plenty of salsa grooves – and at some level, that's really the genius of the album – as Ray and Cruz pushed a new sensibility into mainstream salsa audiences. Titles include "Eres Tu", "El Relajo", "Juan En La Cuidad II", "Pra Tra Y Pa Tra", and "El Sonido De La Bestia". LP, Vinyl record album

The classic first album as a solo act from Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez – not the boogaloo artist with the same first and last name, but the singer who'd rose to fame on a series of classic albums with Johnny Pacheco! The style here is rich and soulful – a return to tradition in Latin male vocals, with roots that stretch past Pete's Puerto Rican homeland, and deep into 20th Century Afro-Cuban traditions. Arrangements are by Bobby Valentin, Louie Cruz, and Louie Ramirez – and the instrumentation mixes some 70s salsa brightness with the deeper tones of older years. Titles include "El Conde Negro", "Los Compadres", "Un Toque Pa Yambao", and "Lo Quiso Dios". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from one of the real giants of Venezuelan music in the 70s – the mighty singer Tabaco, an artist with a style that was every bit as soulful and righteous as any of the salsa greats on the New York scene at the time! Tabaco heads up his own groups here, and has a way of creating these lean, bold groups that are fantastic – heavy basslines, jazzy piano, and plenty of percussion – all topped with vocals that really send the whole thing over the top, and which should have seen the singer hit much bigger global fame on the Latin scene! Titles include "Ponte En Ritmo", "Lino", "Imolle", "Cuando Llora El Indio", "Yo Soy Sonero", "El Tren De Porky", "San Juan Guaricongo", "A Millet", and "Casamiento". LP, Vinyl record album