Willie Villegas y Entre Amigos Dancer's Paradise

Latin Beat Magazine, August, 2003 by Rudy Mangual

(Entre Amigos Records)

For several years now, the Brooklyn-based Willie Villegas y Entre Amigos have been one of the busiest working salsa bands in the New York City club circuit. Their repertoire of classic salsa compositions from the sixties, seventies and early eighties make them a favorite of club-goers, and more importantly, of die-hard salsa dancers. Dancer's Paradise is the group's latest recording featuring 10 tracks of salsa dura, ready to ignite any party. The CD opens with the Benny Moré classic Castellano followed by other old favorites such as Mayarí (F. Repilado), Moliendo Café (Joe Manzo) and Ariñañara (Chano Pozo), which pays tribute to the sound of the legendary Joe Cuba Sextet. Salsa icons Yomo Toro and Giovanni Hidalgo are special guest musicians on several tracks, as well as many of New York's finest from the salsa scene. Alfredo "Malé" Torres is the featured vocalist on most of the tracks, with guest vocalists Víctor Rodríguez featured on the English-language track I Wish You Love and Albert Areizaga on his own composition, Amadou. (RM)