SONORA CARRUSELES

With only five albums to its credit and less than eight years of existence, Colombia's Sonora Carruseles has already perfected a trademark sound that is cherished by salsa lovers all over the world. There's some seriously powerful stuff to be found in this album: spidery piano lines, tight poly rhythms, explosive brass riffs, staccato cowbell patterns and impossibly nasal choruses that are just hard to resist. Carruseles pays a moving tribute to the spirit of old, hardcore salsa, while at the same renewing this all but-forgotten style with the benefits of digital technology.

It's a fitting continuation to the legacy of Discos Fuentes, the label responsible for the development of Colombian tropical music through seminal acts such as Fruko Y Sus Tesos, Latin Brothers, Los Corraleros de Majagual and Sonora Dinamita. It was the company's veteran musical director, the legendary Mario 'Pachanga' Rincon, who dreamed up the concept of Carruseles, a band whose mission would be to re record classic sides from the salsa heyday of the '70s, thus preserving them for a new generation of devoted fans.

Mr. Pachanga's dream became a reality, and Carruseles turned out to be the most exciting band to come out of Colombia in decades. With an illustrious line of talented guest singers that includes Gabino Pampini, Harold Pelaez and Macondo, Carruseles is a terrifying machinery of non-stop swing. Not content with exploring the golden age of salsa, it has also revamped the sweetly nostalgic dance craze known as the boogaloo, and even found time to delve into bouncy cumbia territory through a series of delectable medleys.

Now, Carruseles has assembled all of its greatest hits in one single album. A luxurious affair, really. The ideal party disc. Listening to the rollicking "Arranca en Fa" and the infectious "Micaela," you find yourself wishing for more Carruseles albums, more resurrected nuggets from the past, more bewitching tumbaos and lightning speed solos. The party has finally begun. It's too late to stop now.