“Avenida Malecon” by Pedrito Martinez

The master mix for the video feels a little more upfront and physical than what we hear in the single version of this song, but it doesn’t drown out the vintage tonality of the instruments. Pedrito Martinez forms a sophisticated bassline in “Avenida Malecon,” and though it’s a little feistier in the video, it falls short of saturating everything in its heavy fog. I’m not even kidding when I say that I believe the moving visuals bring out more of an evocative depth in the music, and once you see this video, my gut tells me that you’ll get precisely what I’m talking about. 

In the chorus of the song, the band clings to a much sportier rhythm than what we begin with, while the melody becomes even achier and filled with more pain. I get a freewheeling vibe from the harmonies in this single more than I even do the lyrics; it’s as if Martinez is trying to tell us something so much deeper than what the romantic hunger in his swing is translating at face value. I don’t usually go for Latin pop music of a decidedly puritan strain, but I would have to be crazy to resist the passion in this prose. 

Both lyrically and musically, “Avenida Malecon” is a torrid release that doesn’t hold anything back from us in imparting a youthfulness that is at the center of Latin pop music. In this respect, you could make the argument that Martinez is playing more to his influences in this track than he isn’t, but to some degree, I think that would be discounting the vivacious sway that pushes this song along. The bottom line is that whether you’re all about the solo dance beat or you’re more geared toward the full-flavor of a Latin pop band, this single is highly unlikely to let you down. 

I’ve been keeping a close eye on Pedrito Martinez, and though a lot of artists hit a wall when they have this kind of vitality in the studio, this guy is only going to get better with the time he spends between four walls. Every time I think I’ve heard the best from what his scene is made of, they come back with an even greater batch of material than before, and that’s not usually the case with most of the artists that I review in this business. “Avenida Malecon” has the potential to bring him an increased level of international attention, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that he deserves every bit of it. 

Mindy McCall