Browse Music
Rock & Pop
R&B & Hip-Hop
Country
Blues
Jazz
Classical
Latin
Christian
Soundtracks
Collections
Grupo Man
La Hora De La Verdad
Grupo Man:  La Hora De La Verdad

$6.99
Listen

Album Review

Released: 2005
Label: Universal Music Latino
Selection #: 162297
Grammy® winners expand their legacy as Latin America’s favorite dance group. Mere Pescao, La Peleona, Grupomanía Es Grupomanía, more.
Listen RM WM
1 Grupomania Es Grupomania
2 Le Peleona
3 Esto Se Pega
4 No Puedo Olvidar
5 Luna
6 Ya Yo No Vuelvo a Querer
7 Escucha el Mio
8 Volvamos a Empezar
9 Siento
10 Ay Papá
11 Tamarindo Seco
12 Sandunga
13 Quiero Devorarte
14 Mere Pescao [*]
  
Download Player:    Real Media Real Media    Windows Media Windows Media
Album Review

Merengue, like its sister rhythm bachata, started in the Dominican Republic and has been dominated by Dominicans. But just as Puerto Rican legends such as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto and Eddie Palmieri successfully adopted son, cha-cha, guaguancó and other rhythms that originated in Cuba (the rhythms that came to be called salsa), some Puerto Ricans have enjoyed tremendous success with merengue. Olga Tañon, for example, is widely regarded as the finest female merengue star of the ‘90s and 2000s, and Grupo Mania is a Puerto Rican outfit that anyone who is seriously into neo-merengue needs to hear. What is neo-merengue? While Johnny Ventura and Wilfrido Vargas went down in history as masters of classic old-school merengue, "La Hora de la Verdad" ("The Hour of Truth") epitomizes a post-‘80s take on merengue--a hard-driving, rhymically insistent approach that incorporates elements of hip-hop, funk or dance music. Some older Dominicans--those who prefer to stick to classic Ventura and Vargas recordings--don't care for the sort of neo-merengue approach that Mania epitomizes. But for those who do appreciate this more modern take on merengue, exuberant tracks like "Escucha El Mio," "Sandunga" and "Grupomania Es Grupomania" offer considerable rewards. "La Hora de la Verdad" isn't without variety; while the abovementioned tunes are on the aggressive side, "Siento" and "No Puedo Olvidar" offer a softer, more romantic style of neo-merengue--it's the neo-merengue equivalent of salsa romantica, arguably. And adding to the CD's diversity is the reggaetón-minded "Ya Yo No Vuelvo A Querer." Meanwhile, "Ay, Papá" is the closest this 2005 release comes to an old-school merengue vibe. Grupo Mania has been popular since the ‘90s, and on the this 2005 release, the Puerto Rican unit continues to make excellent contributions to a Dominican-dominated art form. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Back To Top
About This Artist
Biography


Other albums by: Grupo Man
Grupo Man:  Hombres de Honor Listen Grupo Man
Hombres de Honor

$6.99

Grupo Man:  Manía 2050 Listen Grupo Man
Manía 2050

$6.99

more
Related Artists
Gisselle
Olga Ta??n
Ilegales
To?o Rosario

Any reproduction, publication, further distribution, or public exhibition of materials provided at this site, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited.
©2006 All Media Guide, LLC
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC