Customer Reviews

32 Mas Grandes De

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Although it was a gift I know it's top shelf because i has all of Oscar's most important hits. I've been listening to his music since I was 6. He is the most talented salsa artist of all time.

These are some dance tracks of the first rank. D'Leon is Venezuela's salsa superpower. As Celia Cruz puts it in her duet with him, D'Leon is "un verdadero caballero." The arrangements are as mainstream as they come, but he has a beautifully balanced voice, he brings a real air of class to the lines he delivers, and the band who backs him never disappoints. (In fact, his lead trumpet is a freak of nature.)

The Lideres pressing (from Miami) of Las 32 Mas Grandes de Oscar D'Leon mentions in the CD tray that the tracks were remastered by Sprockets Music. But, as usual with these things, whether this is a big remaster of everything on the older RMM collection is anybody's guess.

Regardless, the sound is crisp and clean, and it has nearly everything you could want from a D'Leon collection. Omissions? I just miss the studio version of Lloraras. The live recording of this signature tune, while still showing the band in top form, is a bit lighter (less muscle in the brass, too much tinkle in the piano) and fades before the band wraps up. But then again, the RMM collection didn't have it either. Clearly RMM is in the business of getting you to buy as many records as they can.

If you're choosing among collections of D'Leon's songs, some free advice: Make sure you're buying a collection that offers you most or all of at least these D'Leon classics:

Agua que no has de beber
Casas de carton
Hazme el amor
Llego el sabor
Lloraras
Mentiras
Mi gente
Mi mujer es una bomba
Mis deseos
Mujer de arena
Toitico tuyo
Traicionera

If I could salsa dance like he can play, life would be nirvana.