Viva la Rasta (Aztlan, 1998)

I must admit, I was a little apprehensive when I first saw this album -- "reggae en espanol?"  Back in 1998 -- before the breakthrough of Gondwana -- this sounded  a bit gimmicky to me, but to my surprise, this compilation is chock full of good ol' fashioned quality reggae.  Musically, the Latin element is downplayed and what influence that is heard blends well, as in Gyan Marcos' "Apapachame" and Millo Torres y El Tercer Planeta's "Arresto Mental."  Pretty much all of the songs are performed by actual bands, which is getting harder to find in this digital era, and which is quite refreshing.  Any doubt as to the genuineness of this reggae disappears right off the bat when the first two songs -- "Liberate" by King Chango and "Dos Lenos" by The Toyes -- hit you.  These two tracks, along with "Reggae del Coco" by Soul Vibrations, are the best on the album, while all but 3 cuts -- the rock-ish "Sacudete II" and the generic dancehall of "Hipocrita" and "A Tu Manera" -- ring true to these roots reggae ears.