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Latin music, from Puerto Rico

Las Manos de Oro
Las Manos de Oro
By Yomo Toro

Xenophile Records: 1985

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This review first appeared in the June 7, 1998 issue of the North County Times.

When most Americans think of Latin music, they're likely thinking of Cuban jazz or sons, or Mexican mariachi or ranchero.

But there's a whole world of Latin music out there to be discovered, as this new release by transplanted Puerto Rican Yomo Toro shows.

Combining his native land's jibaro with Cuban and African rhythms and playing a traditional 10-string cuatro guitar, Toro leads his band through a torrid collection that swings from the wildly danceable to the weepingly romantic.

Lead singer Dali Silva's vocals are impassioned, Toro is virtuosic on guitar, and the Puerto Rican traditions are distinct and compelling.