Joe Torres

Though Joe Torres recorded only one LP, Latin fans of several generations were later introduced to him through a succession of legal and extra-legal nuggets compilations, including Soul Cargo ("Nightwalk"), Latino Blue ("Soul Cha"), and Broasted or Fried ("Get Out of My Way"). Recorded in 1966 for World Pacific, Latino con Soul is a cooker of an album, one that blends the hot boogaloo of Johnny Colon with the steamy, jazzier sound of Willie Bobo or the Jazz Crusaders (the latter courtesy of great interplay between trumpeter Gary Barone and tenor Bill Hood). "Get Out of My Way" is the perfect opener and one of the prime boogaloo cuts of the era, a viciously swinging female fend-off with vocalist Ric DeSilva leading the chorus. DeSilva returns for another highlight, the moody "Nightwalk," playing up the persona of the dark Latin balladeer. The trials of releasing a record on a major label probably forced Torres to contribute covers of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" and the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," but the latter shines on this treatment. ~ John Bush, Rovi