The music industry, as well as anything else, is all about connections. It’s about who you know. Gente de Zona, a Cuban reggaeton group know some big names in Latin music. Marc Anthony, Pitbull, and Chino Y Nacho all feature on Gente de Zona’s album, Visualízate. If Gente de Zona somehow sounds familiar to you then chances are that you are an Enrique Iglesias fan. The duo featured on Iglesias 2014 hit Bailando.
Gente de Zona consists of Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom Martinez. This album marks their international debut. Most Latin groups and artists tend to say their name at the beginning of each song and Gente de Zona lives up to that as they sing their name at the start of every song.
I listened to the album for the first time while I was cleaning. While I clean I like to have fast paced music to motivate myself to actually clean. If you like to shake it then I highly recommend Visualízate. Being completely honest, I didn’t actually listen to the lyrics the first time I heard it. So, if you don’t speak Spanish, you can just dance without paying much attention to what is being said.
The first song off the album features Marc Anthony. “La Gozadera” meaning “good time” or “party” is basically about that. Gente de Zona state multiple Latin countries that have joined the party which is apparently a giant party that everybody has become a part of. From the start, the song is fast paced and doesn’t let down. The continuous beat makes you feel like you are at a party – even if it’s just you and your broom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZqyZ2TyWZ8
“Algo Contigo” is about wanting to get with a girl because she makes you hot (if you know what I mean). The translation is “Something With You” and while at first it appears to be a slow song it picks up after about 20 seconds and continues with the fast beat.
“Piensas (Dile La Verdad)” (Translation: “Think [Tell Him the Truth]”) features someone well-known to many – Pitbull. I knew Pitbull was there because after the last song finished I heard “Mr. Worldwide.” I thought it was a clue. This song is similar in pace and, yes, the beat is actually different from the last two. The song is about how the ex-girlfriend is still in love with her ex and she should tell her current boyfriend that her ex still drives her “loca.” And yes, Pitbull does say “Dale” multiple times throughout this song. (Would he even be Pitbull if he didn’t?)
After Pitbull makes an entrance, Gente de Zona go back to singing by themselves. “Por Ti” (“For You”) is about forbidden love. I don’t know if the love is forbidden by external circumstances or if its because the girl doesn’t want anything to do with him. Either way, the beat once again makes you want to dance. Which I did.
“La Tentacion” (“The Temptation”) continues Gente de Zona’s fast paced style but it is slower than former songs. The song is about a woman who is a temptation. I think the title explained itself but whatever.
“Que Tu Queires” (“What You Want”) is a great workout song if you ignore the actual lyrics. The song itself is about a woman who already has a boyfriend but is saying to Gente de Zona that she wants to be with him. Basically she wants to cheat on her boyfriend but Gente de Zona is like, “No girl, that ain’t happening.” While I was dancing to this song with my broom, you could dance to it while doing Zumba. I kid you not. Below is a video in which a Zumba routine is done to this song. I think I’m going to learn it.
“Mas Whisky” (“More Whisky”) is about wanting more whisky. No, seriously. They sing about how they are at a party and when you start getting turnt you chant “More Whisky.” Whisky may not be your drink of choice, but you probably chant for some type of alcohol.
“Tu Me Quemas” (“You Burn Me”) is about a woman’s hotness burning Chino y Nacho. This song actually features Gente de Zona but its still pretty good regardless. While they don’t sing throughout the entire song its still a good song to dance to.
“Yo Queiro” (“I Want”) once again features Pitbull. This song is another slow/fast-beat song. (If that makes sense). The song is basically about how Gente de Zona love their significant other and they constantly want to give each other love as well as taking their partner to see the world.
Marc Anthony comes back to feature on the song “Traidora” (“Traitor”) which is about a woman who betrayed and broke their heart. Which I mean the title explains but still. This song could be considered the ballad song of the album. It still has a good beat to dance to which I may or may not have done with my broom.
“Tu y Yo” (“You and Me”) is about two people who are totally right for each other. This is a good song to end the album on because its fast paced and lets you move your hips a lot, if you tend to do that when you dance.
Technically the album doesn’t end on “Tu y Yo” as salsa versions of the songs “La Gozadera” and “Traidora” round out the album but they’re basically the same thing but with a salsa beat.
Overall, I loved this album. It’s hard to break into the reggaeton scene due to the legends that currently belong to it but Gente de Zona have managed to do that, not only with their powerhouse connections but with their talent. Even if you don’t know Spanish, you’ll find yourself dancing and shaking what your momma gave ya. It might also not be the best album to listen to while doing chores seeing as I got all the way to the end of it and I still hadn’t finished sweeping. I noticed the difference in the beats but that may be because I have listened to reggaeton music before. If you don’t notice the difference between beats then I hope you still enjoy it because this is a great album.
Grade: A+
Favorite Tracks: All of them, but if I had to pick: “La Gozadera,” “Que Tu Queries,” & “Yo Querio”
Listen to the complete album below. Check it out on iTunes. Check out Gente de Zona on Twitter and Facebook.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK4jvWz1lLc
