Heart Beats

The three songs sung in Spanish are equally eclectic. The endlessly fluid "Corazón" is a valentine in the form of a Cuban guajira. The incredibly infectious "Cumbia Raza" is a people's anthem that's absolutely true to the popular Colombian rhythm referenced in its title. Broke-down industrial sounds and hybrid African-Latin rhythms provide the soundtrack for the "let's all go trip to the beach" storyline of "La Playa." And if that ain't a quintessential soundscape of L.A. today, then this second-generation native son doesn't know his cabeza from his culo.

With the help of three rotating guest drummers and a percussionist, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas, Louie Perez, Conrad Lozano and Steve Berlin have made their third album of the '90s that'll still sound totally contemporary 10, 20 years from now, when Ricky Martin and Limp Bizkit will be punch lines to bad jokes. (Don Waller)