Angel & Khriz Hardly Taking Over
By Chris Zebo
When reggaeton started making waves far from the shores of Puerto Rico, few people could have anticipated the splash it would make internationally. In the United States, especially in Latin urban centers like Miami, Los Angeles and New York, reggaeton had gotten its green card in the underground Latin club circuit by the late 90s. It was hard-edged and gritty, and it spoke to Latin urban angst in a language (Spanish) that finally differentiated Latin rap from its African American forefathers.
But few expected that the music–a fusion of Jamaican dance hall and Panamanian reggae, Latin pop and hip hop, and traditional Caribbean sounds like bomba y plena–would ever get serious play time on US Latin radio. For most, it was rehashed hardcore rap with an accent, and many thought of early reggaeton as American hardcore rap’s dirty stepsister. Certainly, no one envisioned the music making a cross-over to non-Latino audiences, since almost all tracks were sung in Spanish.
But then…“Gasolina” happened. Daddy Yankee’s reggaeton smash hit not only took over the Latin charts but it also made numerous appearances on top pop rosters. Not since “Livin’ La Vida Loca” had a Latin song made such an indelible impression on the top 40. But more importantly, unlike Ricky Martin’s pop-and-drop 15 minutes of fame, Yankee’s rise to stardom ushered a whole new underground music genre to the international mainstream.
Angel Rivera Guzmán and Christian Colón (known as the reggaeton duo Angel y Khriz) were caught in Yankee’s undertow. They had shared the same producers as Yankee (the Dominican duo Luny Tunes) and they released their first album, Los MVPs, at about the same time as Yankee’s Barrio Fino, the album that would win a Latin Billboard Award. In the shadow of Yankee’s stardom and, consequently, the growing widespread acceptance of reggaeton, Khriz y Angel had no difficulty getting onto the charts early and consistently. One of the songs from the debut album, “Ven Bailalo,” topped charts in a matter of weeks and set them up for future contracts and, most importantly, gained them an audience.
Four years later, Khriz y Angel released their second full-length album, Showtime, without Luny Tunes in tow and with a new all-star production team including Santana and Barbosa, Nely, and Noriega. The album, unfortunately, was leaked onto the internet before its release date and didn’t achieve the sales necessary to secure a billboard rating. However, without reservations, it was one of the best reggaeton productions ever released and it is still one of the most underrated albums of the past decade. Interestingly, the production team produced tracks that pushed the genre into new territories, like the club mix hit “Na De Na” and their high-octane Merengueton track “Quiere Mas.” The album’s first single release, “La Vecina,” took reggaeton, smoothed out the hard edges and infused ultra-catchy pop hooks. The new direction the duo was heading in was sure to secure them a larger audience, especially those who enjoyed the rhythm of reggaeton but without the hardcore rap baggage.
Showtime is one of those albums that is impossible to follow up. It was the equivalent of Radiohead’s Kid A. It set such a high standard for the duo that any future release would be destined to either fly or fail. It redefined the genre and explored so much new territory that any future release would practically have to reincarnate Showtime as a new album with different tracks (as Radiohead’s Amnesiac took Kid A’s B sides and repackaged them in similar clothing).
Well, Khriz y Angel’s new album Da’ Take Over was released in just the past month. Like the duo’s previous releases, the album features many collaborations, with big names this time, like Flo Rida, salsa legend Victor Manuelle, Divino, Guelo Star, and J-King. The album, like Showtime, attempts to fuse genres and push the envelope. “Mal Negocio (Ya No),” a track featuring Victor Manuelle, is standard cha cha. But no bells or whistles and no real innovation. The guitar in the song sounds like it was lifted directly from “Smooth,“ the famous Santana and Rob Thomas (of Matchbox Twenty) cha cha from 1999.
“Tu Gato Nuevo” stays within the lighter reggaeton range that the group standardized on Showtime. It’s straight-ahead reggaeton without the teeth, and that’s not exactly disparaging, considering Khriz y Angel made the reggaeton sound easier on the ears for people that needed more suburb and less ghetto. But unlike Showtime, Da’ Take Over doesn’t achieve the pop catchiness that defines almost every track from the previous album.
“Que Hay Que Hacer” takes us to the club again, and the track sounds like the closest thing to Showtime’s brilliant overproduction. “Dime” fuses reggaeton and hip hop and then adds layers of synth effects that sound like they came out of an 80s’ video game. It’s not bad, either. “Me Enamore” is one of the better songs from the album. It opens with bachata (a style they’ve pulled off with grace before) and turns into merengue shortly after. It’s a great song, and it deserves play time in a salsa club. But is it “Khriz y Angel?” Not really. It seems misplaced, belonging on another album maybe.
“Como Olvidarte,” featuring Divino, is the final track on the album and it’s so out of place that you might think the producers added the song to the album by accident, or even as a joke. It’s a cheesy ballad, something you might here in the opening credits of a Mexican soap opera. It’s new territory for the duo and it’s the wrong territory, too.
Something is missing on Da‘ Take Over, altogether. Ironic, considering it tries to take on so much. Overall, the production goes from the club to the soap opera in 13 songs. Of the four or five good tracks on the release, none of them compare to the artistry of Showtime. Khriz y Angel certainly haven’t taken anything over with this release.