Various

Boogaloo is essentially North American Latin Soul music — the marriage that came as a result of bicultural Spanish Harlem. It was the missing link between the mambos and cha-chas of the 1950s and the powerhouse that became salsa in the 1970s. Eventually the combination of mambo with Motown created a short-lived craze that produced some incredible Latin soul music where tumbao pianos border on boogie-woogie and semi-corny lyrics sung over Afro-Cuban drums that chant out catchy rhythms and hooks. As always, Rough Guides has compiled a solid collection of stand-out tracks that cover the range of artists that were on the forefront of Latin music’s evolution in New York City. The liner notes are clear, concise and colourful, packing them full of history and personal stories that help illustrate the era that was boogaloo. Stand out tracks include Ray Barreto’s classic "A Deeper Shade of Soul,” an incredible version of "Good Lovin’” by the Gilberto Sextet, and Bobby Valentin with a tongue-and-cheek version of the classic TV theme song "Batman’s Boogaloo.” The Rough Guide to Boogaloo is the sort of album that will sit proudly in the collections of both the curious and the already familiar fans of boogaloo, as well as make a few summer nights all the more memorable.