Lamento en Baile

Fans always knew Daddy Yankee would eventually return with a new album. Despite the ceremonial finality that surrounded his 2022 full-length farewell, *LEGENDADDY*, the Puerto Rican icon didn’t exactly go away, performing live and dropping singles as he saw fit in the subsequent years. Still, the arrival of *Lamento en Baile*, a faith-based outing from the perreo pioneer, seems less an extension of his prior work than a reinvention that opens him up to new audiences who’d otherwise have avoided an oft salacious genre. Sparked by his public conversion to Christianity, this roughly hour-long effort sees him sidestep his King of Reggaetón title to preach about a kingdom greater than his own, beginning with the rhythmic appeal of “Tan Invitao’” and continuing through such profoundly positive fare as the thumping yet tropical “Sonríele.” Shifting from such ecstatic joy to a more studious seriousness, he looks deeper into Scripture on the cautionary salsa “Jezabel y Júdas” and revives the Noah’s Ark parable on the sleek “Súbete.” Yet he can also find humor in life’s mishaps and small ironies, shrugging it all off for the bubbly “DTB.” Even Yankee’s love songs now carry a devotional bent, evident on the praise-laden “Jardín Rojo.” His gratitude in this new phase of life imbues so much of *Lamento en Baile*’s contents, bursting out of the dance floor-ready “Ayo Ayo,” “Tu Amor Me Conviene,” and “El Toque.” Truly, his commitment to composing catchy songs regardless of subject matter carries through here, sure to aid in converting those who came to him in more secular years.