Acid (CD - 1968)

Personnel: Ray Barretto (congas); Adalberto Santiago (vocals, claves, maracas, bell); Pete Bonet (vocals, guiro); Jimmy Sabater, Willie Torres (vocals); Rene Lopez , Roberto Rodriguez (trumpet); Louis Cruz (piano); Bobby "Big Daddy" Rodriguez (bass guitar); Orestes Vilató (timbales).

Ray Barretto's Latin/soul crossover record of 1968, Acid includes a few tracks of his ebullient, instrumental salsa, but also plays off the boogaloo craze of the past few years with a few Latin soul numbers. The crossovers "A Deeper Shade of Soul," "Soul Drummers," and "Teacher of Love" (all written by Barretto himself) are a lot of fun, but the (relatively) straight-ahead salsa of "El Nuevo Barretto" and the title track easily edge out the competition. It's nowhere near as psychedelic as the title would indicate, but Acid holds up nevertheless as a great document of the late-'60s confluence of Latin, funk, and soul. ~ John Bush minimize