Calle 13 expands its palette with tango, hip-hop - Reggaeton News

By Ramiro Burr, San Antonio Express-Ne

May 30, 2007

"Residente o Visitante," the sophomore album from Puerto Rican duo Calle 13, adds tango, hip-hop, rap and more to the reggaeton of the band's debut. Calle 13 singer-songwriter Residente says that should come as no surprise. "We have never really been a reggaeton group," he said in Spanish. "I think this clearly marks that we are way beyond what they sometimes considered us, that we were in that genre. The people who think we are reggaeton are the people who do not know Calle 13. "The majority of the fans who listen to Calle 13 know that the music is not reggaeton. And yet it is reggaeton, but very different. This record has 15 songs, and three could have a [reggaeton] rhythm that we utilize, but at the concept level, that is another thing."

Call it reggaeton, Latino hip-hop or urban Caribbean fusion. The one thing most can agree on is that the music is hot. The CD debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Latin Albums chart two weeks ago, derailing the reign of Jennifer Lopez's "Como Ama Una Mujer" as the top-selling Spanish-language CD in the U.S. And in recent months, Calle 13 has become a media darling. At last November's Latin Grammys, the duo won the best new artist and urban album trophies for "Calle 13." The group also has been on the cover of several national magazines, including Billboard and People en Espanol. The new album finds the two expanding their musical palette of urban rhythms.

The first single, "Tango del Pecado," features Oscar-winning Argentine producer Gustavo Santaolalla and his Bajafondo Tango Club and offers the familiar tango grooves. The wicked Colombian-flavored "Cumbia de Los Aburridos" gallops along with accordion and horn riffs, while the romantic tune "Un Beso de Desayuno" mixes electronica, rap and bossa nova. Another new aspect is that the songs are "mostly written from the first person," Residente said.

"Pal Norte" details the problems of immigrants all over the world. The song features Cuban-American rappers Orishas.

"I had wanted to do that theme [song] because I think it is an important topic," Residente said. "And not just for the immigrants in the United States but all over. It is a song that immigrants can identify with, Dominicans as well as Puerto Ricans. All the people leave one country for another for the same reasons."

The pressure on sophomore albums usually comes because artists have less time to work on the followup. But Residente says the group felt no pressure despite its increasing popularity.

"Actually, we had even less time to finish the second album," he said.

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