Latin Reflections is mostly yet another remake of
Cugat's hits from the era before LPs.
MusicO is budget version of
Musicor, a fine label with serious Latin credentials, such as some albums produced by
Al Santiago. The
Musicor sound of
Cugat is deeper and much more intimate, with guitar, flute, piano, marimba and horns ranging from soft solos to dubious,
Herb Alpert-esque ensemble work. This works fairly well in
"Temptation," an exotic number which makes one wish
"Nightingale" and
"Taboo" were included too. This stint probably falls between his
Mercury and
Decca periods. It has the material and guts of the
Mercury recordings but with the mod, brassy arrangements of the
Decca period. In fact the sound is as close to
Herb Alpert as other work by
Cugat. Whether Latin or "Mexicali brass," it is at least interesting easy listening, mercifully without strings. ~ Tony Wilds