EL MARIEL - PITBULL
Largely free of the often impenetrable shtick that defines crunk brethren like the Ying Yang Twins, Pitbull’s “El Mariel” dials back the more obnoxious ingredients of the low-end-heavy genre for a more focused and wide-reaching club experience. “El Mariel” would be more accurately billed as Pitbull featuring Miami, as the 305 figures prominently in his bilingual lyrics and beats. But the smart hooks and bang-bang beats on tracks like “Come See Me,” “Jealouso” and the old-school rocker “Fuego,” delivered in a drawl that seems to originate equally in Miami and, say, Macon, Ga., function in any language. Two points for originality, eight for head-rocking skill. Billboard
