Showtime

For all those waiting for reggaeton to step up the game and climb to the next level of musical evolution, there's good news in 2008. As the genre branches out, artists are doing away with the reggaeton album of yesteryear, where one track is virtually indistinguishable from the last: same programming, same tempo. Alongside artists like Casa de Leones and Don Omar, duo Angel y Khriz are reaching farther and wider for inspiration. Their 2008 release, Showtime, is proof of this phenomenon. Incorporating musical elements tracing back to bomba, New York hip-hop, salsa, rock, and more, Angel y Khriz offer something fresh to reggaeton lovers worldwide. Album single "La Vecina" welcomes Latin guitar stylings, live drums, electric guitar, and skillfully arranged horns to the table. "Tu Aroma" is born of a cuatro and accordion-adorned bomba groove. Merengue makes a welcome appearance on the disc thanks to track "Quiere Mas." Angel y Khriz not only look back into musical history, but look forward as well. The electronic programming throughout is definitely next-generation. The duo's lyricism is equally progressive and reaching -- if not thematically, then for its complexity. Showtime is a 15-track disc, with 15 different songs, which could not necessarily be said of all its predecessors. If the variety and sophistication offered by this January release is what reggaeton fans can come to expect, that's good news: "2008, a good year for reggaeton." ~ Evan C. Gutierrez