Leyendas de la Fania, Vol. 3

One of the, if not the, preeminent salsa labels in the U.S., Fania has a proven track record of producing a long list of extremely high-quality Latin artists including Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Willie Colón, Ray Barretto, Rubén Blades, and Eddie Palmieri, among others. So if they decide to issue a "best-of" collection, it's something that deserves to be taken seriously. Such is the case with Leyendas de La Fania, Vol. 3, which, though it doesn't include tracks from all the stars (both Colón and Blades are missing, for example), still represents the label's talented roster very well. Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez has a great song, "La Abolición," included, as does Cheo Feliciano ("Castillos de Arena"), Orquesta Harlow ("Con la Mayor Elegancia"), and Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco's standout track, "Ni Hablar." As the album progresses, it does move a bit away from salsa and into more pop- or boogaloo-based arrangements ("Dueño de Mi Corazón" by La Lupe, "Mambo Mongo" by Mongo Santamaria, and even Tito Puente's "Pata Pata," which is a little far afield from what he usually does), but overall Leyendas de La Fania, Vol. 3 is a pretty great look at what the label put out. ~ Marisa Brown