Herb Alpert
Passion Dance
Almo Sounds AMSD-80014 (1997) Rating: <!– Enter the image tags here for rating stars The tag for one star is as follows: The tag for a half star is: Insert the proper number of tags below…just copy and paste from above –>

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between them. Begin the first paragraph below this comment. –> This album “is dedicated to all the Tijuana Brass fans…who always ask ‘When am I going to make another record.’ This one’s for you.”

No, this is not a return of the mighty Brass to disc, but it has to be the most Latin recording Herb Alpert has ever recorded. While my earlier Latin favorite ‘Fandango’ was oriented toward Latin pop instrumentals, this new recording features a crack line-up of fine salsa musicians. Aside from Alpert’s lead parts on the trumpet and various songwriting clues, you would not recognize this as one of his albums. Eight of these tunes were composed by Alpert and his producer/co-writer for these sessions, Oskar Cartaya.

The hot album opener “TKO” was co-penned with Jeff Lorber, with whom he collaborated on his previous set ‘Second Wind’. There is a mild salsa redux of Stevie Wonder’s “Creepin'”, and some pleasant slower-tempo tracks such as the title track, “Beba” and “Baila Conmingo (Dance With Me). Tijuana Brass fans will smile at the “quote” from “Spanish Flea” in the song “Que Pasa Mr. Jones?”, and the past is revisited again with a salsa/rock re-do of his hit from ‘Fandango’, “Route 101”.

Given the uneven quality of his latter-day A&M solo recordings, these last two solid efforts on Alpert’s new label Almo Sounds show him to be expanding musically and creatively, sounding markedly refreshed. Long time Alpert fans and salsa lovers will find a lot to enjoy with Alpert’s latest!