by Victor W. Valdivia

El Leon is a transitional album. Throughout the album, it's clear the Fabulosos Cadillacs are slowly developing their fusion of rock, reggae, and Latin music. While tracks such as "Carnaval Toda La Vida" and "Gitana" are lightweight salsa, there are attempts at weightier material. A cover of Ruben Blades' "Desapariciones," a song about the victims of Argentina's military dictatorship, is the album's most affecting number. The title cut (done in two versions: reggae and salsa) depicts an urban hell in vivid terms. Musically, the band has begun to toughen up the sound too. "Soledad" has guitar lines that could have been lifted from a U2 track. "Cartas, Flores Y Un Punal" is a witty parody of a new wave song, complete with mock-gothic lyrics and synth and guitar lines that echo early '80s acts like the English Beat. While El Leon is not as incandescent as later records, the quality of the songwriting makes it worth hearing.