A classic 70s salsa jammer from Willie Colon – working here with his one of his greatest vocalists – the young Ruben Blades, back before he'd crossed over to super-huge success! The album really marks a departure for Willie – moving past the bad boy style of earlier records, that kind of "tough guy in the hood" look – into a mode that was more open to other Latin scenes, and which marked an even greater rise to Latin stardom – really warm, open-handed, and a push forward with a new level of power and maturity. Titles include "Dime", "Plastico", "Buscando Guyaba", "Maria Lionza", "Ojos", and "Siembra". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic 70s salsa jammer from Willie Colon – working here with his one of his greatest vocalists – the young Ruben Blades, back before he'd crossed over to super-huge success! The album really marks a departure for Willie – moving past the bad boy style of earlier records, that kind of "tough guy in the hood" look – into a mode that was more open to other Latin scenes, and which marked an even greater rise to Latin stardom – really warm, open-handed, and a push forward with a new level of power and maturity. Titles include "Dime", "Plastico", "Buscando Guyaba", "Maria Lionza", "Ojos", and "Siembra". CD also features 5 previously unreleased bonus tracks – "Dime (take 2)", "Pedro Navaja (take 2)", "Ligia Elena (Merengue version)", "Siembra (Joe Claussell remix)", and "Plastico (inst edit)". CD

A compelling later collaboration between Willie Colon and Ruben Blades – recorded as the soundtrack for a film that starred Blades as a boxer and Colon as his shady manager! The music's much better than the movie, though – and represents a mature meeting of these two talents from the 70s – reunited here in a style that's heavy on the trombone sounds of Colon's classics, and which has a nicely clean, clear sound overall – one that's a lot more personal and intimate than you might expect from the movie. Blades sings leads, but gets some cool chorus backings from Milton Cardona and Willie Colon – and Joe Torres plays a bit of Fender Rhodes in the backings, but these are mostly mixed low under the trombones. Titles include "What Happened", "Yo Puedo Vivir Del Amor", "Andanza", "Cimarron", "Y Tu Abuela", and "Venganza". CD

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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