Rubén Blades y Son del Solar...Live!

• Artist: Rubén Blades y Son del Solar
• Rating:
• Release Date: March 20, 1990
• Total Time: 74:27
• Type: Live
• Genre: Latin

Review

All Rubén Blades fans know his wizardry in the studio to be beyond comparison in the salsa world. Though some artists have difficulty making the transition from studio to stage, Blades takes on the challenge like a champ. His prowess as a live performer is in equal proportion to his inventive studio presence. The only disappointing aspect of his 1990 release, Rubén Blades y Son del Solar...Live!, is that it's Blades' only live in concert performance in his large discography. Backed up by the 11-piece band Son de Solar, Blades concentrates on repertoire that pleasingly mixes material from recent collaborations with the band, Agua de Luna and Buscando América, and his days with Fania. The play list is one crowd-pleaser after another, including recent hits like "Ojos de Perro Azul" and classics like "Pedro Navaja." Though favoring a now dated synth-heavy sound, the musical performances are so powerful that they must have shaken the club to its foundation. Son de Solar are themselves an amazing conflagration of Latin star power, including pianist Oscar Hernandez, timbalero Ralph Irizarry, Marc Quiñones, and drummer Robby Ameen. The pedigree of musicianship shows through in the flawless, achingly funky grooves and virtuosic solos. Blades proves himself not only to be a master musician, but also a wonderful communicator and entertainer, as is evident in his often humorous interactions with the crowd. The unacquainted will be won over, and dedicated fans will hear their beloved cantante as never before. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Decisiones	Rubén Blades	Rubén Blades	(6:03)
Cuentas del Alma	Rubén Blades	Rubén Blades	(6:49)
El Padre Antonio	Rubén Blades	Rubén Blades	(8:46)
Pedro Navaja (Lyrics)	Rubén Blades	Rubén Blades	(9:26)
Todos Vuelven		Rubén Blades	(5:53)
La Canción del Final del Mundo	Rubén Blades	Rubén Blades	(6:35)
Ojos de Perro Azul	Rubén Blades	Rubén Blades	(7:05)
Buscando América	Rubén Blades	Rubén Blades	(11:08)
Muévete	Juan Formell	Rubén Blades	(12:16)

Credits

Rubén Blades (Guitar), Rubén Blades (Arranger), Rubén Blades (Vocals), Rubén Blades (Producer), Rubén Blades (Main Performer), Rubén Blades (Performer), Robert Ameen (Drums), Jon Fausty (Mixing), John Harris (Assistant Engineer), Oscar Hernandez (Piano), Ralph Irizarry (Timbales), Renaldo Jorge (Trombone), Arturo Ortiz (Synthesizer), Roger Paiz (Bongos), Marc Quiñones (Guitar (Acoustic)), Marc Quiñones (Conga), Jerry Solomon (Engineer), Angel Papo Vasquez (Trombone), Michael Vinas (Bass), Howie Weinberg (Mastering), Howard Thompson (Executive Producer), Leopoldo Pineda (Trombone), Frank Ockenfels (Photography), Carol Bobolts (Art Direction), Mikael Ifversen (Mixing Assistant), Mikael Ifversen (Assistant), Edwin Montalve (Conga), Adam Pinch (Assistant Engineer), Adam Pinch (Assistant), Mark Shane (Assistant Engineer), Mick Adams (Live Sound)