| Released in the wake of Daddy Yankee's worldwide success with "Gasolina" and Barrio Fino, Ahora Le Toca al Cangri! Live showcases the reggaeton superstar's live performance ability, in particular an energetic show in his native Puerto Rico. Like its stateside companion, hip-hop, reggaeton unfortunately doesn't come across as well live in front of a crowd as it does in the studio. That's not the fault of Yankee, of course, who turns in a high-spirited performance here. It's more a matter of acoustics, as the fast-paced, beat-heavy style of reggaeton doesn't sound so good in such a context as this. For instance, Yankee's vocals come across muffled and the beats come across likewise. The poor sound quality aside, Ahora Le Toca al Cangri! Live does capture Yankee's performance well. His crowd goes absolutely bananas, and Yankee seems to have a great sway over them, addressing them often and, as the saying goes, keeping them on the edge of their seats (though it's highly unlikely anyone's sitting down — or even standing still, for that matter!). In particular, halfway through his performance he breaks into salsa on a song titled "Puerto Rico Te la Dedico," which of course instantly sends the crowd into a frenzy. Other high points include a show-closing medley that includes some fun DJing, as the beats from 50 Cent's "In da Club" get aired for a nice surprise moment before Yankee closes the set with a remix of the show-opener, "Seguroski." Again, it's worth noting that live reggaeton such as this doesn't carry over to the realm of CD recordings very well. The sound quality leaves much to be desired, though it's as clean and clear as it could be, sounding as if it were recorded from the soundboard. So Ahora Le Toca al Cangri! Live serves mainly as an imperfect showcase of Yankee's live performance ability, and as such, it fits the bill and does so in an impressive manner. But it's not really that pleasant of a listen and isn't something you'll find yourself listening to over and over as you would one of his studio albums like Barrio Fino. And no, he doesn't perform "Gasolina" — or any songs from Barrio Fino, for that matter (one presumes this live date preceded that album's release) — so that too might dissuade you from bothering with Ahora Le Toca al Cangri! Live, which essentially functions best as a cash-in stopgap release for the red-hot reggaeton star while Barrio Fino continued to ride the top of the Latin charts in 2005. | |