Hector Lavoe COMEDIA

H?ctor Lavoe's third solo release benefited from Willie Col?n's production, Rub?n Blades agreeing to give his new composition "El Cantante" to him (Lavoe promptly made it his own), and the varied arrangements of Col?n and Luis "Perico" Ort?z. But setting all that firepower aside, it's still true that nobody could make a song sing quite like H?ctor Lavoe (there was a reason they called him "La Voz"), and his commanding air over this record made it his third straight classic. As on the previous two, Lavoe and company strive for stylistic range more than anything else, adding a heavy syrup of strings to "El Cantante" for an elegant touch, getting streetwise for "Bandolera," and finishing the album with a surging montuno titled "Songoro Cosongo." ~ John Bush

• Format: CD