SOUNDTRACK: OZUNA-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #97 (October 16, 2020).
Ozuna is described as a global superstar and is one of the most watched and listened-to artists on earth. [That link takes you to a Guiness Records page where he is recognized for how much he has been listened to].
Of course, I’ve never heard of him.
Ozuna is a crown jewel in the global crest of Latin pop, a movement whose modern success in reggaeton and Latin trap is indebted to the Caribbean genres Ozuna heard growing up in Puerto Rico, sounds like old-school reggaeton and reggae en español, dembow, dancehall and more.
This Home Concert apparently brings Ozuna’s sound to a more quiet place.
For someone whose work often operates at galactic proportions, this performance of five songs makes room for Ozuna’s sweet tenor to take center-desk in a love letter to the global communities that supported and streamed him to god tier status.
The Puerto Rican singer kicks it off with a breezy rendition of “Caramelo.”
Breezy is a great word for it. It feels tropical with a reggae rhythm from Freddie “YoFred” Lugo on bass and Elí Bonilla on drums. The two guitarists (Carlos Mercader and Benson Pagán) play reggae chords and some lead licks.
that leads into a solo version of the sun-drenched “Del Mar” from ENOC, his fourth album that he’s deemed a return to his roots.
It opens with a cool guitar lick and some pleasant keys (Edgardo Santiago). But Ozuna’s delivery is much faster than the chill music. I really like the way the backing singer José Aponte matches his voice so perfectly.
Dancing around in the back is the DJ Erick “Yonell” Pachecho. I’m not really sure what he’s doing back there but he seems very busy.
This pared-down performance makes good on that promise, reworking star-studded collaborations, like the ballad “Despeinada,” as they should be sung: languorously and with intimacy.
“Despeinada” is a quiet ballad. You can hear Hector Meléndez on the piano playing pretty fills as the rest of the band grooves. It segues into the banger “Taki Taki” (which I can’t help but imagine is about those purple-bagged chips that I see at the Wawa).
Even the pop smash “Taki Taki” sounds brand new, buoyed by his alchemical flow and energy.
This is my favorite song of the set, from the bouncing rhythm, to the loopy keyboard melody to the fun of singing “taki taki.” This song is quite short, so it’s clearly just an excerpt. The same is true for “Mamacita” which is barely 2 minutes. But the flow of this song is great.
I guess the world is right about him.
[READ: November 24, 2020] Nano
I found this book in the hold of our library. It’s from 2009, although I believe that we received it in 2012. This means that it has been sitting in our storage area for 8 years and nobody has asked to see it.
This isn’t the only book in this situation–we have many, many books that are unlikely to be read–but most of them are nonfiction and not really timely anymore. This book, however, is a cute little (40 page) book of cartoons. And, best yet, they have no words.
There is an introduction (in Spanish) from Máximo, who I assume is the cartoonist Max. I assume this because Máximo doesn’t come up in searches and because the introduction talks about how Nano is the tiny everyman. So Máximo is a funny twist on a tiny person. Or so I think. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 