A Man and His Music: La Voz

• Artist: Héctor Lavoe
• Rating:
• Release Date: July 17, 2007
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Latin

Review

No one made salsa great more than Willie Colón, but a large part of what made Colón great was Héctor Lavoe. "El Cantante" was the greatest vocalist in salsa history, a man whose gift for vocal improvisation and rhythm was in similar company with James Brown and Ray Charles -- and precious few others. He sang his lines with the same melodic dexterity as the greatest jazz singers (with more resemblance to an instrument than a voice). Also, he played off Colón's sprightly arrangements and punchy trombone lines to perfection. In fact, it's difficult to tell who inspired the other more. Still, it's clear they did most of their best work together -- at least five of their albums belong in the canon of great salsa: La Gran Fuga, Cosa Nuestra, The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, Lo Mato, and El Juicio. La Voz, the two-disc compilation of Fania recordings, spends most of its first half reprising Lavoe and Colón's greatest sides, then focuses on Lavoe's excellent "solo" career (including La Voz, De Ti Depende, and El Sabio) plus a trio of his greatest appearances as part of the Fania All-Stars. It's the greatest Lavoe compilation ever assembled, with remastered sound and excellent liner notes from Little Louie Vega, the Masters at Work producer who knows his Héctor Lavoe better than anyone (he's Lavoe's nephew). ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Aguanile	Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón	Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón	(6:11)
La Banda	Willie Colón	Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón	(3:01)
Ah-Ah/O-No	Willie Colón	Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón	(3:46)
Te Conozco	Héctor Lavoe	Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón	(4:55)
Abuelita	Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe	Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe	(4:22)
Qué Bien Te Ves	Willie Colón	Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón, Yomo Toro	(3:38)
Barrunto	C. Curet Alonso	Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe	(5:34)
Pirana	C. Curet Alonso	Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe	(5:16)
La Murga	Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe	Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe	(5:33)
Juana Peña	Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe	Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe	(5:35)
Che Che Colé	Willie Colón	Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón	(3:29)
Triste y Vacía		Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón	(6:11)
Timbalero	Willie Colón	Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón	(8:18)
Mi Gente	Johnny Pacheco	Héctor Lavoe	(5:27)
Todo Tiene Su Final	Willie Colón	Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe	(4:59)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
El Todopoderoso	Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe	Héctor Lavoe	(4:19)
Periódico de Ayer (Lyrics)	C. Curet Alonso	Héctor Lavoe	(6:48)
Isla del Encanto		Fania All-Stars, Héctor Lavoe	(4:26)
El Cantante		Héctor Lavoe	(10:23)
El Sabio	Tito Rodriguez	Héctor Lavoe	(4:30)
Hacha y Machete		Héctor Lavoe	(5:35)
Vamos a Reír un Poco		Héctor Lavoe	(7:39)
El Rey de La Puntualidad	Johnny Pacheco	Fania All-Stars, Héctor Lavoe	(6:42)
Ublabadú		Héctor Lavoe, Fania All-Stars	(5:51)
Aléjate	Raúl Réne Rosado	Héctor Lavoe	(7:07)
La Fama	Héctor Lavoe	Héctor Lavoe	(5:20)
Mi Gente	Johnny Pacheco	Héctor Lavoe, Fania All-Stars	(6:23)

Credits

Louie Vega (Liner Notes), Priscilla Vega Franco (Photography), Louise Hilton (Design), Louie Vega (Compilation), Bob Katz (Mastering), Giora Breil (Coordination), Rodrigo Salazar (Liner Editor), Myrna Diaz Martinez (Photography), Dean Rudland (Coordination)