My Latin Soul

Later in life, Latin jazz percussionist Bobby Matos would express misgivings over what he saw as the over-simplicity of his debut album, My Latin Soul. With respect to artists being their own worst critic, it’s still surprising to know his ambivalence since, to most people’s ears, My Latin Soul was one of the boogaloo’s more musically impressive LPs, partly owing to Matos’s training at the feet of such masters as Tito Puente and Willie Bobo. While his straight-ahead boogaloo tracks like “Trailo A Casa (Bring It On Home)” are perfectly serviceable, it’s the more jazz and mambo-inspired songs that pop on here, such as on the five-minute workout “Tema De Alma Latina (Latin Soul Theme)” and especially the irresistibly catchy “Nadie Baila Como Yo (Nobody Dances Like Me).”