Marc Anthony Presents Winning Case to Salsa Purists

It’s time for salsa purists to leave Marc Anthony alone.

The young, New York-based singer, whose credibility as a salsa artist has often been questioned by those in salsa preoccupied with his hip-hop past, made his formal Los Angeles club debut Saturday night at the House of Blues--and it was a strong, convincing affair.

During a nearly two-hour set before a wildly enthusiastic crowd, Marc Anthony showed he is a passionate performer with a sweet but powerful voice. He has a good feel for material, much of it taken from established Latin pop stars such as Juan Gabriel and Ilan Chester--and he has put together one of the best salsa orchestras in the country.

Marc Anthony’s demeanor onstage is distinctive in salsa, mixing elements of hip-hop irreverence and disarming fun. His set seemed much more spontaneous than often is found in the salsa world, where performers over the years tend to sacrifice their own identity in favor of formal salsa routines.

Though Marc Anthony has appeared a few times before in Los Angeles, it has been in limited roles at Fiesta Broadway. While he impressed on virtually every level Saturday, there remains one challenge: writing.

Back in his hip-hop days, he often wrote his own material, so there’s no reason he shouldn’t use his skills to put his own ideas and feelings into his music rather than rely on outsiders.