Search - Fernandito Villalona :: La Cartita

La Leyenda EL MAYIMBE...

Fyah Mon | Washington Heights, NYC | 11/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"To begin with, Fernandito Villalona cannot be called a "merengue" artist. Sure, he is one of the most popular merengueros of all time, and certainly on the top 5 of most popular Dominican singers ever. But he is so much more, just as you can't pin down Julio Iglesias to one genre of music. In a sense, Fernandito is like the Julio Iglesias of La Republica Dominicana. Certainly, he has the smooth loverman voice and incredible vocal range to compare with a legend like Iglesias, Julio that is. "La Cartita" is his third album, I believe, but it is among his best. A groundbreaker at the time, he incorporated rock, ballads, funk and even some reggae/Caribe grooves onto his already rich merengue palate. He first appeared as a popular artist around 1984, but it is 1987's "La Cartita" or the little card, which propelled him to Dominican and international stardom. Ok granted, besides the Dominican communities outside the island, he wasn't exactly well known. But listening to this album will defintely make one realize what an amazing vocalist and singer he really is! This album only has 9 songs, but they are all tight. I can't give this 5 stars as the 80's cheese kinda flows too heavy here, and there aren't any real perfect moments. Perhaps his most famous song, and the shining star here, is "Soy Dominicano." One need not be Dominican or speak a word of Spanish to feel his love and know what he means! So, with that said, forget reggaeton PLEASE and look past Shakira, Daddy Yankee, J-Lo( God forbid one compares her at all???) and get a taste of the REAL musica latina. This is timeless it is approaching 20 years that this has been out, and besides the 80's cheesy influence, it stands the test of time!! ESSSSSSS-A!!!"