Joe Bataan - Riot (1968)

In the 1970s New York Afro-Filipino Joe Bataan from Spanish Harlem landed one success after another. Bataan mixed Latin music with English lyrics and was a true pioneer of Latin soul, salsa and hip-hop. He penned such disco-rap-funk hits as "Rap-O Clap-O", one of the first raps ever recorded.

He disappeared from the scene from the mid-1980s until 1996, when colleagues Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri persuaded him to take to the stage again. In 2004 a young producer signed him on to record a new disc. With his first album in twenty years, "Call My Name", he is back, updating Nuyorican boogaloo with the raw sounds of indie rock and neo-funk.
"Riot" is a real killer from the legendary Joe Bataan - an album of righteous power that really lives up to the dynamic promise of the title and cover!

Joe Bataan's in top form throughout - serving up a blend of Latin grooves and 60s soul influences that few other artists of the time could touch - soaring and upbeat one minute, but mellow and laidback the next.

There's a number of longer tracks on here that really move past the standard Latin Soul modes - bringing in bits of descarga jazz, instrumental soul, and mellower ballads to Joe's already-great blend of styles. The depth here is tremendous. Titles include the slamming "It's A Good Feeling (Riot)", "Muneca", and "Mambo De Bataan" -- plus the soul tracks "What Good Is A Castle", "My Cloud", "Daddy's Coming Home", "Ordinary Guy", and "For Your Love".

Joe Bataan - Riot (192 kbps, front cover included)