Noel (1988)

"Noel," Noel (1988)

I've uploaded a freestyle album. Yes, I can't believe it either. And no, I'm not talking about some rapper who improvises his shtick on the fly. This is something that is completely different. As Wikipedia notes, "Freestyle or Latin Freestyle, also called Latin Hip Hop in its early years, is a form of electronic music that is heavily influenced by Hispanic culture."

Noel, according to what I've found out, was a Bronx-wise Cuban-American who scored a huge hit in 1987-88 with his single, "Silent Morning." It's a heck of a song that displays influences ranging from 80s hip-hop to European synth-pop. If anything, the album should be obtained just for that one track.

But does the album fare as well as the club classic? Surprisingly, yes. While the lyrics and the singing might not be the best, I can definitely assert that the music itself is quite good. Aside from one sloppy ballad-like offering, the album is generally a mix of very good synth lines and potent beats.

I might not be too keen on freestyle as a whole, but I totally endorse this out-of-print nugget from a practically forgotten genre.

1. Silent Morning
2. Fire to Ice
3. To Be With You
4. Out of Time
5. Change
6. Like a Child
7. Fallen Angel
8. City Streets
9. What I Feel For You

Download (40.00 MB)

P.S.: Re-uploaded it after I saw that the crap-tastic mp3 converter I downloaded only converted about 2/3 of each track (!?!). This new link should take you to the good version of the album.