Ciclos (CD - 2009)

Arranger: Sergio George.

Luis Enrique is widely known for developing a new style of salsa that smoothed out and toned down the normally high-energy genre, pairing still-danceable rhythms with a mellow vibe and crooning vocal style. CICLOS finds the Nicaraguan singer mining familiar territory in his trademark relaxed manner. On tracks such as the yearning, "Como Volver a Ser Feliz" and the soaring "Inocencia" Enrique delivers a percussion-heavy yet soothing sound which evokes warm Caribbean breezes and romantic walks on the beach.

Losing his major-label contract hasn't slowed Luis Enrique, one of the young giants who made salsa romantica the hottest topic in Latin music during the late '80s and early '90s. Enrique and his 11-piece band shine on Ciclos, whether they're playing traditional salsa the way it sounded back in the '70s, integrating a few digital effects here and there ("Sonríe"), or floating the occasional Latin pop ballad ("Sombras Nada Más"). The combination of Enrique's assured delivery and a wide-ranging band makes Ciclos a success within 21st century salsa, and it became the first Luis Enrique album to reach the general Billboard album charts (and his highest scoring on both the tropical and Latin charts). [Ciclos included a bonus DVD with recording footage of all the songs on the CD portion.] ~ John Bush minimize