What defines the characteristics of album that can really be called great? Is it something like ''Sticky Fingers'' that will be enjoyed by generation after generation until the world explodes into a million pieces of dusty vinyl or is it something like ''Whats Going On'' or ''Volunteers'' that, through their crackles, production and melody also defines the environment it was made in so that it serves as a perfect historical reference as well as something that just sounds good?

Or is it a work of art that makes you ache in wonder at the talent and circumstances of it's creation like Nuyorican Soul, conjuring images of dusty backstreets in puerto rico, disco parties at Studio 54 and b-boys standing in street corners in Brooklyn. With ''Nuyorican Soul'', the Masters at Work team (Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez) and 'Little' Louie Vega') set out to create a patchwork of music as rich and diverse as New York itself.

The tracklisting includes cover versions of songs recorded originally by musicians that were called back into the studio for the Nuyorican Soul project as well as original tracks written by the 'MAW' production duo. Tito Puente, George Benson, Roy Ayres and even Jazzy Jeff feature on what is now an absolutely essential item within every music lovers collection. Latin, blues, jazz, disco and even house music are put together as the end of one track blends with the start of the next. The result is a musical collage that is so perfect in its musicality, production and sequencing that it should rightly be called a masterpiece by label boss and Radio 1 DJ Gilles Peterson.

The album opens with a short hip hop beat introduction to the production duo and then quickly moves into one of the stand out and probably best known tracks ''Black Gold of the Sun'', an orchestral soul classic with an immediately recognizable piano riff opening. The central section of the album remains firmly in latin and jazz territory, rhythm and musicality oozing from its every beat before moving uptempo for the final section where George Benson, Roy Ayres and Jazzy Jeff feature. The George Benson guitar solo on the final track ''You Can Do it Baby'' is reason enough to sit back and enjoy the rest of the album.

If you can appreciate music in all its forms and genres, recognize how difficult it is to play and produce music with a variety of techniques and instruments to such a high standard then Nuyorican Soul needs to be on your shopping list.

Brand	N/A
Rating	4.7 (120 ratings)
Price	$11.98
Category	Acid Jazz

Nuyorican Soul

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