So since the mid eighties when he walked away from the music industry, the King of Latin Soul has apparently been counseling incarcerated youth and helping his family train professionally in martial arts. Yet his tunes from Spanish harlem in the late sixties and seventies helped create a genre and ultimately the lure of the music has been too hard to resist for Bataan, teaming up with young Barcelona rare groove ensemble Los Fulanos to revitalise some of his classics, both the hits and the more obscure. So ultimately it’s a covers record, the difference being that it’s from the original artist. There’s a real mix of boogaloo, straight up Latin jams, and salsa, they’re hardcore Latin soul tunes, taut, punchy and funky as hell. Bataan’s voice, clearly aged and at times a little thinner than we remember is still great, though more lived in, like it’s the voice of experience. The production too has never been good. Highlights include his cover of Gil Scott Heron’s The Bottle, an instrumental disco version in the mid 70’s was one of his biggest hits, here he’s included the words and it elevates the song to new heights. In fact the energy and feel of this and the treatment given to many of the other tunes here including Rap-O-Clap-O and Subway Joe should dissuade anyone thinking this is a mere cash in on his legacy. In fact hopefully this is just the first step back into the world of music now the kids have grown up and the youth are still in jail.
-Bob Baker Fish
