It was more than good news to receive Bobby's first studio album after almost 10 years and, even better news, to actually listen to it. "Evolution" is without a doubt a great album and in the course of its twelve tracks, Bobby's talent is deployed in all its craftsmanship, maturity and ultimate knowledge of how salsa music of heavy caliber is supposed to be done. There are tons of superb arrangements, lush orchestra sound, excellent singing and great songs in here, plus a nice touch of experimentation, some jazzy stuff, a very professional CD artwork and - wow! - a DVD flipside to the CD, which features four songs filmed in the studio during the recording. What more can you ask for?

From the opening notes of the first track ("Clotilde"), one can easily tell the difference between whatever Bobby Valentin does and everything else going on in today's salsa music : the sound is just so full, the arrangements so slick, the overall style so original and immediately recognizable, that one can only stand in awe and observe how Valentin's approach to salsa, essentially not different from what he used to do 20 years ago, still sounds modern and, in fact, more progressive than what most of today's salsa artists actually play and record! Bobby's concept may be same, yet don't be fooled by this : "Evolution" is very much a contemporary recording - that is, a top quality production carefully designed to fill the needs of today's salsa public and not to evoke nostalgia or satisfy just the die-hard salsa fans that treasure Valentin's albums from the 70s and ask for more of the same. "Evolution" is a terrific dance record that could (and, for me, should) replace Gilberto Santa Rosa's last CD on the airwaves and the dancefloor and, given some media support, it could surely seduce the younger crowds, as it contains superior music and classic-to-be salsa by a maestro who has been there, done that, and still doing it, fresher, smarter and better than about anybody else in the business.

A good deal of "Evolution"'s contemporary quality is owed to the pair of young singers that Valentin recruited for the recording : Kriptony Texeira, with his strong but mellow voice, and Julio Lopez, with his swinging, street-wise interpretations, both fit perfectly to Bobby's arrangements and can be added to the long line of fine vocalists that have been featured in his band before, as they deliver with confidence, effectiveness and obvious knowledge of the noble (and dying?) art of the sonero. But when Ray de la Paz, guest singer in two tracks, walks in, let me tell you, the whole thing just explodes! This guy is surely one of salsa's greatest singers alive and his classy voice, his warm timbre, his melodic ability, his rhythmic drive and his improvisational skill build up a totally impressive performance that justify Valentin's choice for a veteran salsero in his recording. Special mention should also be done to the terrific team of vocalists (Luisito Carrion, Chegui Ramos and Pichie Perez) that form a formidable coro, as rich, crisp and perfectly harmonic as any top-notch salsa coro should really be.

But first class salsa in not all that "Evolution" has to offer :  Towards the end of the CD, Bobby Valentin lays down four "fusion" numbers and although the very word of "fusion" (and its relative, "crossover") in the past have been associated with some quite uncomfortable moments in salsa memory, Valentin's mastery of music in all its aspects and possible forms just couldn't allow bad things to happen to such a good recording. "Four Plus Two" and "No Name", two compositions of his own, are quite interesting, modern jazz pieces that make good use of horn lines, sporadic coros and, surprisingly, the tasteful electric guitar work of baseball player / jazz guitarist Bernie Williams, who blends smoothly into Valentin's music and is also featured in another two cuts of the same "fusion" characteristics : "Piel Canela", a moody arrangement of Bobby Capo's classic bolero, and "Si-Si, No-No", an old Graciela/Machito lovely tune, that here is covered by a sexy - sounding Giselle in a smart pop/jazz arrangement.

As its title rightfully suggests, "Evolution" pictures a mature, yet ever-exploring stage in the long and successful career of maestro Bobby Valentin. It's really a shame that, considering salsa's poor condition nowadays, we don't hear more from such creative monsters as Papo Lucca, Luis "Perico" Ortiz, or even Willie Colon and Ruben Blades - artists with huge talent and, also, a vision that defies commercialism and serves the scope of upgrading the art of music, of THIS music that is, hence upgrading the very culture that it comes from. In this sense, Bobby Valentin's new album is more than good. It's a much needed triumph.