As part of
Universal's
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection, the 12-track
Best of El Chicano disc highlights the group's best-known material released in the early to mid-'70s. While the group has often been compared to
Santana, they were a much tighter outfit, bypassing extended jams and sticking closely to their combined roots of
soul,
salsa, and
Latin jazz. Beyond their two genre-defining hit singles,
"Brown-Eyed Girl" (1972) and
"Tell Her She's Lovely" (1973), the collection includes such album tracks as
"Viva Tirado," "The Latin One," and
"Juntos," mixed with
boogaloo-tinged
Latin jazz written by
Tito Puente,
Herbie Hancock, and
Ray Barretto. Along with
Cannibal & the Headhunters and
the Premiers,
el Chicano were among the first generation of Hispanic rockers to gain national attention and break out of the local East Los Angeles scene of the '60s and '70s. It's encouraging that their music is finally being given the proper attention it deserves. ~ Al Campbell
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