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Puerta de Oro (Mock & Roll, 2004)

I don't know if the two albums I've heard from Fidel are supposed to be representative of his music, but I certainly hope not. Both feel flat and uninspired, and there's little of the amazing Fidel I heard on the compilation Tributo a Bob Marley. Ironically, on Puerta de Oro, he delivers a Spanish version of one of the tracks he performed on Tributo, "Wake Up and Live," here re-titled "Levantate Y Vive," but as solid as it is, even it seems like a shell of his English-language rendition. Its inclusion signals a trend on Puerta de Oro of recycling material. The very first song borrows the classic music from Dennis Brown's "I Don't Know," which is repeated as the instrumental "Luanda" later (although the liner notes would have you believe Fidel wrote it all himself). There's also a Spanish version of Junior Reid's "One Blood" entitled "Una Sangre," featuring Reid himself. Even the title track, a stunning Nyabinghi drum and organ instrumental and easily the best tune here, is credited on the album to Bob Marley (though I'm not sure which song it's supposed to be). Unfortunately, the covers are the best part of Puerta de Oro. Of the originals, only the chanting "Emperador" and the groovy accordion-fest "Oh Emmanueli," featuring DJ Junior P, have any lasting impact. The rest is drowsy, bland hip-hop with a touch of by-the-numbers roots and dancehall that showcase the limits of Fidel's vocal ability. He's fine when chatting, but is a poor singer -- even for a DJ -- and his attempts to do so on tracks like "Como Vos Quieras" and the borderline country-western "En Un Cassete" are more than distracting. And, as "Combinacion" -- a catchy tune that is rendered moot by the vocals -- shows, he should not rap. Ever.