Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo

iTunes Review

Calle 13 — the Puerto Rican duo of rapper Residente (René Pérez) and producer Visitante (Eduardo Cabra) — have always drawn sounds from beyond reggaeton, and on their third album, Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo, they further expand their musical palette. Residente unleashes Spanish lyrics that are sharp, humorous, and at times surreal, while Visitante creates tracks that draw from Dixieland (“Ven y Critícame”), Slavic brass bands (“Fiesta de Locos”), and old school Nuyorican Freestyle (“Electro Movimiento”). There are also snippets of classical music, cumbia, funky guitar scratches, West African grooves, and other elements. A couple of outstanding guest artists make key contributions: On “No Hay Nadie Como Tú,” the Mexican band Café Tacuba spins out springy polka-rock, and “La Perla” features the Panamanian singer Rubén Blades injecting the sinuous flow of a great sonero into the mix, which makes for a nice contrast to Residente’s hard-edged raps. The closing track, “John el Esquizofrénico,” is one of this excellent album’s highlights. Over a midtempo beat, Residente lets the words fly as Mellotron and slide guitar evoke psych-period Beatles.