Rigo Luna

From Mexico to Spain to Argentina, rock en español is a huge market; Maná, Alejandra Guzman, and countless other Latino rockers have earned a great living performing alternative rock that just happens to be in Spanish. And similarly, the reggaeton phenomenon demonstrates that there is also a big market for Spanish-language rap (which is not to say that all Spanish-language rap is reggaeton). So is there any reason why R&B should not be performed en español as well? There isn't, and Rigo Luna (formerly of the group Nu Flavor) shows listeners some of the possibilities of Spanish-language R&B on his first solo album. Luna is from Compton, CA, the area of Los Angeles County that gave listeners the infamous N.W.A, but this self-titled release is not gangsta rap. Instead, Luna's specialty is hip-hop-minded R&B along the lines of R. Kelly, Usher, and Bobby Brown. But there is a major difference between Luna and those urban contemporary stars: Luna usually performs in Spanish — not always, but usually. Spanish is the language that serves him well on the main version of the neo-soul slow jam "Nunca" (a jewel of a single), and even though the bilingual Luna sometimes sings in English, Spanish is the album's main language. "Nunca" (Never) is, hands down, the best thing on this 2006 release, but the other songs are still enjoyable — and they range from romantic slow jams like "Si Tu Te Vas" (If You Go) and "Tonight" to club grinders such as "Mujeres, Hoteles" (Women, Hotels), "Keep It on the Low," "Lento," and the salsa-tinged "Juana Maria." Apart from "Nunca," Luna's solo debut falls short of superb, but everything on the disc is likable and worthwhile — and the Compton singer has done the music world a favor by demonstrating that R&B doesn't have to be in English to be effective.