Calle 13 takes reggaeton several steps beyond ordinary - Reggaeton News

By Jim Abbott Orlando Sentinel

July 04, 2007

Although Calle 13 fits somewhere in the fringes of the reggaeton craze, this genre-bending Puerto Rican duo takes that sound out of its one-dimensional mold.

On their recently released Residente o Visitante, rapper/lyricist Rene Perez (Residente) and his half-brother Eduardo Cabra (Visitante) create a vibrant mishmash of styles. Heavy hip-hop beats are leavened by a rambunctious rhythm section that injects interesting doses of jazz, Latin beats and elements of American rock.

In concert on Saturday for a less-than-capacity crowd at Hard Rock Live, Calle 13 leaned harder on the hip-hop elements. Still, an energetic 10-piece ensemble (including two horns and a formidable percussion section) differentiated these multiple Latin-Grammy-winners from lesser reggaeton stars such as Daddy Yankee.

There's an abundance of texture and melodic sense to this material, and the presence of the big band kept the energy level high. The powerful pull of the rhythm was evident in the intoxicating syncopation of "La Cumbia de Los Aburridos." Cabra's accordion was mostly lost in the sound mix, which was otherwise very nice, but the song's sing-along chorus ("Mira!") was still an exuberant triumph.

Cabra, the bandleader, was a versatile presence himself, shifting from keyboards to guitars to accordion to melodica. On the freewheeling closer, "Atrevete-te," he provided otherworldly howling noises on theremin amid spirited solos by the drummers and horn players.

One complaint: That finale came too soon, after only 65 minutes of music. With no opening act on the bill, that's not exactly generous, and many in the crowd stood around as if the band might return.

They didn't, but at least the songs that Calle 13 did perform were choice.

Highlights included their hit "Se Vale To-To," which I'm told translates to "everything's allowed." The bon-bon shaking of two women pulled from the audience embellished the song's funky Latin beat.

That anything-goes mentality also would be a good description of Calle 13's music, which is ambitious enough to look at musical boundaries and charge right through them.

Jim Abbott can be reached at jabbott@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6213.