#473: Barrio Fino [Daddy Yankee, 2004]

There was never a chance I would like this album. Daddy Yankee’s third album introduced the world to reggaeton on the massive hit Gasolina, but Barrio Fino is a huge album. Clocking in at over an hour, it’s not the longest record reviewed so far (#489), but it’s 21 exhausting tracks long and they never let up. Daddy Yankee never stops rapping like a territorial Rottweiler, and every song has the same Dem Bow riddim played on the worst drums since St. Anger. That’s not totally fair. There is stuff to like on this album, like the recorder on Cuéntame and the trumpets and tuba on Salud Y Vida which bring in some nice Latin flair, and guests like salsa singer Andy Montañez and poet Gavilán bring a nice change of pace. Daddy Yankee is also a surprisingly competent rapper in English and he relaxes his macho posture a bit on the crossover-chasing Like You. But I did not enjoy listening to this album. It’s like working at a construction yard - long, loud and tiring. 1/5.