Hector el Father Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
In 2008, a couple years after his chart-topping hit single "Sola" confirmed his superstar status, Hector el Father announced his pending retirement from reggaetón in order to devote himself to Christianity. While it's routine to scoff at such announcements -- particularly by American rappers, who threaten retirement so often it's become something of a joke -- one listen to Juicio Final should convince listeners that Hector el Father is serious. Unlike Jay-Z, for instance, who announced his retirement while he was at his peak, in hopes of going out on top of the rap game with his best-ever effort, The Black Album (2003), Hector el Father chose as his final statement Juicio Final, far and away his least commercially oriented album to date. From the opening track, the six-minute "Intro," a lengthy and heavily biblical conversation with God in which he questions the consequences of his life as a reggaetonero, it's clear that Juicio Final is an album concerned not with hitmaking and chart-topping, but rather with weightier concerns such as the fate of the protagonist's soul. Following the six-minute intro, Hector el Father indeed bears his soul on "Mi Testimonio," a powerful song on which he explains his reasons for leaving reggaetón behind in favor of Christianity. Subsequent songs are more topical, keeping with the same overall theme of "final judgment." For instance, "La Boda" explores matters of sexuality in ways one perhaps never expects to hear expressed within the context of reggaetón, a style of music notorious for its sexist attitudes, while the song that follows, "Payaso," is strikingly honest about how Hector el Father no longer wants to feel like a "clown" who performs knowingly stupid music for the amusement of others. Halfway through the album, after Hector el Father essentially confesses his litany of sins, Juicio Final makes a turn toward penance with "Y Llora," the album's most heartfelt song and also its most surprising. For one, it's a pop/rock ballad; not only is there no dem-bow rhythm, but there's no beat whatsoever. Backed by guitar, bass, and drums -- a real band, by the sound of it -- Hector el Father sings rather than raps, and the result is surprisingly effective. The next song, "Te Vi Llorar," is another highlight stylistically atypical of reggaetón; though previously released on Mi Trayectoria, it fits in perfectly here on Juicio Final. The latter half of Juicio Final is less interesting, as the downcast mood starts to drag after the couple mid-album highlights, particularly with the back-to-back sequencing of "Si Me Tocaras" and "Perdóname." While Juicio Final isn't any fun and goes too far, crossing the line between forthrightness and self-flagellation during the latter half of its hour-long duration, it's surely one of the most thoughtful and boldly sincere reggaetón albums to date, perhaps opening the door for more self-reflection within the genre. Perhaps most interestingly, it remains to be seen what becomes of Hector el Father -- as, again, such "retirements" rarely endure -- but his decision to leave reggaetón behind for Christianity is curious if not totally original (ten years earlier Vico C made a similar career decision, ultimately returning with Christian-themed music). ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Mi Trayectoria'
Release Date 6/17/2008
Tracks 15
Label Machete Music
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
In addition to three versions of the new single "Te Vi Llorar," Mi Trayectoria compiles a dozen of Hector el Father's career highlights, most of which had been scattered across an assortment of various-artists collections dating back to 2004-2005. Mi Trayectoria begins with the standard reggaetón version of "Te Vi Llorar" (salsa and bachata versions are tacked on at the finale of the compilation) before advancing to "Sola," the chart-topping smash hit from Hector el Father's solo debut album, The Bad Boy (2006). The subsequent songs are culled from an assortment of various-artists collections, some of which were "presented" by Hector el Father (or, as he was formerly known, Hector el Bambino), including Los Anormales (2004), Sangre Nueva (2005), and Gold Star Music: Reggaeton Hits (2005). Though some of the songs compiled on Mi Trayectoria seem randomly chosen, overall it's a useful odds-and-ends collection for completists who want to hear some of Hector el Father's hard-to-find output such as "Esta Noche de Travesura" (from DJ Nelson's La Discoteka [2004]), "Calor" (from the various-artists collection MVP, Vol. 2: The Grand Slam [2005]), or "Vamos a Matarnos en la Raya" (from the various-artists collection Megaton: The World's Biggest Reggaeton Hits [2005]). On the other hand, anyone expecting a greatest-hits album might be disappointed by Mi Trayectoria, since, with the exception of "Sola," Hector el Father was never much of a hitmaker. In fact, he was never much of an album-maker either, as prior to this compilation he'd released only one full-length solo album -- that is, as opposed to roughly a half-dozen various-artists collections he'd executive produced (i.e., "presented"). All in all, considering the irregularity of Hector el Father's discography, Mi Trayectoria is a welcome addition to his catalog, giving fans the chance to hear in one sitting a variety of his output, much of it very good if not especially well known. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'El Rompe Discoteka: The Mix Album'
Release Date 9/25/2007
Tracks 22
Label Machete Music
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Bad Boy: The Concert'
Release Date 7/3/2007
Tracks 18
Label Machete Music
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Bad Boy is Hector el Father's debut solo album; however, he was widely recognized as a reggaeton veteran by the time of the album's release. From 1998 to 2003, he'd been half of the duo Hector & Tito, whose sole full-length album, A la Reconquista (2002), was groundbreaking in terms of popularity and influence -- the first reggaeton album to make noticeable waves within the Latin music industry. Hector & Tito split up in the wake of that album's success, with each pursuing his own solo fortune. Hector "El Bambino" (as he was known for a while) made his solo debut with Los Anormales (2004), an impressive mixtape that was also released in DVD format. He returned two years later with another mixtape, Los Rompe Discotekas (2006), this one for Def Jam. It included a feature with El Presidente de Def Jam, Jay-Z, but the song was fairly lame, especially Jigga's lazy, phoned-in contribution, and the album itself was disappointing for some, given the expectations and possibilities that came along with the Def Jam connection. So by the time The Bad Boy was released by Machete Music in 2007, Hector rightly deserved to change his moniker from El Bambino (which roughly translates to "The Child" in English) to El Father -- he'd been in the industry for almost a decade at this point. And indeed he sounds like a veteran on The Bad Boy, commanding the album by himself, from the overlong "Intro" to the similarly fashioned album-closing diatribe, "Hipocritas (Outro)." It's reasonable to assume that the 18-track, occasionally indulgent album is a reflection of how much pent-up frustration and how many bottled-up ideas Hector had held onto over the years in anticipation of this long-awaited solo album. Unlike recent albums by reggaeton figureheads Don Omar (King of Kings, 2006) and Tego Calderón (The Underdog/El Subestimado, 2006), which sought to broaden the style's boundaries beyond strictly club- and mixtape-oriented music, The Bad Boy is by-the-book reggaeton. It's main distinguishing characteristic -- besides Hector himself, who is quite distinct in manner and attitude -- is the occasionally sung hooks. "Sola," the album's lead single, boasts an especially melodic chorus, and "Te Vas" features Ken-Y, the golden-voiced young man who enjoyed one of the preceding year's biggest hits, "Down," as part of the duo Rakim & Ken-Y. Another highlight is "Si Supieras," yet another half-sung collaboration, this one featuring pop superstar Ednita Nazario, an unlikely guest for an album such as this, given her legacy and stateliness. These few pop-crossover concessions help lighten up an otherwise dark album that often revels in its "badness." Of course, it's a bit disconcerting for "The Bad Boy" to keep company with pop darlings like Ken-Y and Nazario, and then rail against hypocrites on the album-closing diatribe. Then again, The Bad Boy is only Hector's first solo album, so even if he is a veteran, perhaps he's unsure of his direction -- torn between the underground and MTV -- and will work out the contradictions on further efforts. In the meantime, this is a promising start. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
