ALBUM REVIEW / POP

****, Various artists, “Yo Soy Del Son a La Salsa,” soundtrack, RMM. The task of putting together a historical compilation of salsa music that doesn’t sacrifice the spice for accuracy seems impossible. But somehow this two-CD soundtrack accomplishes what the movie of the same title can’t.

The first disc concentrates on the origins of salsa, from Cuba’s folklore traditions to the huge influence that big-band jazz had on such people as Machito and Tito Puente. The second disc takes us to salsa’s heyday, with many recordings from the Fania label, and a look at contemporary Cuba. Most of the songs are edited down, but the sequencing is seamless. The only notable absence is Colombian salsa, which has recently produced the most thrilling additions to the genre. That’s the only weakness in an overall superlative compilation.

*

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