Indestructible

On his first disc that doesn't ever get boring, Elvis Crespo throws in at least one hook per song -- though the hook usually amounts to a well-delivered catch phrase, as in "Romántico" and "Hey Dude!" The latter track is an example of Crespo crossing into English with tongue firmly in cheek, something listeners weren't sure of in his earlier releases. The overall feel of his discs gets more sleek and slick and metallic over time. He seems to embrace this, judging from his album covers. This doesn't do wonders for his ventures into bachata, a genre that attempts to evoke warm organic passion. But it does (almost) lend a kind of modern hip-hop feel to the dance tracks, at a time when everyone in the tropical genre is feeling a Black Eyed Peas-induced inferiority complex. ~ J. Chandler