Joe Bataan Under The Streetlamps

A sparkling collection of work from one of our favorite artists ever -- the amazing Joe Bataan, easily one of the most soulful cats to come out of the Spanish Harlem scene! This killer set brings together the best of Joe's early work for the Fania labels -- cuts that offer an amazing blend of soul and Latin styles, and a tremendous evolution on Joe's part as an artist. There's a depth here that goes way beyond simple boogaloo grooves -- as Bataan's heartfelt vocals grace every track with a sense of presence and person that cannot be denied -- and the grooves from his group are great too -- ranging from upbeat and grooving to laidback and dreamy on some of the key harmony soul tracks. At 20 tracks in all, the package is a tremendous introduction to Joe's rich work of the time -- filled with gems that include "Too Much Lovin", "My Opera", "If I Were A King", "Ordinary Guy", "Subway Joe", "I'm Satisfied", "Young Gifted & Brown", "It's A Good Feeling (Riot)", "Coco E", "Latin Soul Square Dance", "Uptown", "So Young Too Young", "Special Girl", and a previously unreleased demo version of "Gypsy Woman". Dusty Groove