Ghetto Records was Joe Bataan\u2019s way to get over on The Man and out of the \u2019hood, a bold move by an artist looking for independence and creative control in an industry that had exploited his talents and treated him like chattel. Hatched from desperation yet full of hope Ghetto Records came crashing down shortly after its inception. The seven albums in the Ghetto discography languished out of print. \u201cThe Power of Love\u201d (1971) by Joe Acosta was one of them. <\/p>\n
Puerto Rico born Joe Acosta was committed to pursuing a career in salsa and Latin jazz, with piano as his primary instrument. In 1969, Acosta started his first real band, Joe Acosta And His Empresarios, with whom he recorded a self-titled LP. <\/p>\n
By 1970-71, Acosta was getting more gigs, playing dances three or four nights a week at popular venues. It wasn’t long before manager and booking agent Richie Bonilla signed him to his talent agency and secured a contract for Acosta to record \u201cThe Power of Love\u201d on Ghetto Records. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Power of Love\u201d fue un t\u00edtulo muy acertado: el \u00e1lbum recorre un amplio abanico de emociones amorosas, desde la obsesi\u00f3n hasta la desilusi\u00f3n, del romance naciente a las rupturas, del deseo al afecto. Aunque un t\u00edtulo en ingl\u00e9s y baladas rom\u00e1nticas cantadas en ese idioma pod\u00edan parecer una elecci\u00f3n algo inusual para un LP de salsa dura salido de El Barrio, grabado en una \u00e9poca en la que los latinos redescubr\u00edan sus ra\u00edces socioculturales, fueron decisiones creativas conscientes por parte de Acosta que han resistido el paso del tiempo. Hoy el disco es apreciado tanto por los aficionados a la salsa dura, gracias a sus temas r\u00e1pidos y contundentes, como por la escena lowrider<\/em> de la Costa Oeste y su p\u00fablico \u201csouldies\u201d, por la dulce y pausada pieza de latin soul \u2018I Need Her\u2019. <\/p>\n While \u201cThe Power of Love\u201d has several slow tunes, there are a number of funky mid-tempo son montunos, as well as three super hard guaguancos\u2014 enough variety to make for a solid dancing-and listening experience. While the bulk of the selections allow dancers to get their groove on to tasty piano and guitar solos, percussion workouts, and tough trombone mo\u00f1a mambo sections, one track stands out for being exceptionally short and fast: \u2018Bendita Ilusi\u00f3n\u2019, that remains a favorite of salsa dancers today. <\/p>\n According to Acosta, the success of \u2018I Need Her\u2019 encouraged Fania Records’ Jerry Masucci to come knocking but, since the bandleader was already under contract to Ghetto, and Febo didn’t agree to a buyout, nothing happened. <\/p>\n We are now reissuing \u201cThe Power of Love\u201d once again thanks to our collaboration with Now-Again Records. Our release includes an insert with liner notes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Joe Bataan\u2019s Ghetto Records released Joe Acosta\u2019s \u201cThe Power of Love\u201d LP in 1971. It is now beloved among both salsa dura fans for the tough uptempo numbers and with the lowrider “souldies” crowd for its sweet and slow Latin soul track \u2018I Need Her.\u2019 There are a number of funky mid-tempo son montunos, as well as three super hard guaguancos\u2014 enough variety to make for a solid dancing-and listening experience. <\/strong><\/p>\n