The title of this album surely says it all. Anyone unfamiliar with this "Cantante de los Cantantes" will be left spellbound with the melted-butter quality of his voice. In the first track,
"En Todopoderoso,"
within his first verse
Hector Lavoe
sets himself far apart from all contemporaries by virtue of his angelic timbre, only to later outdo himself as he effortlessly soars over the coro.
La Voz
being
Lavoe
's first of nine solo records for the
Fania
label, he turned to labelmate and longtime collaborator
Willie Colon
to produce and arrange. From the graceful, sophisticated horn intro on
"En Todopoderoso"
to the blazing
mambo
section in
"Paraiso de Dulzura,"
Colon
's mark as arranger is indelible. Unlike fellow
artists like
Ruben Blades
and
(both of whom sing coro on this album),
keeps this record quite vocal-centric, omitting the fiery horn or percussion solos and long dance sections that became so characteristic of the genre. Though these elements are missed,
certainly keeps interest. In the final track,
"Mi Gente,"
asserts himself as a master sonero. His own improvisational abilities went a long way to establishing his reputation in the first place, and he does not shy away from using them on this project. The experience created by
is a warmth and refinement only achievable by the combination of two factors. The
label in its prime, and perhaps
New York salsa
's most distinctive voice to date. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez