Calle 13 has once again proven themselves to be one of the most important and gifted group of musicians to have emerged from Puerto Rico (if not all of Latin America) in the past 25 years. Although many Americans might not be familiar with the group, Calle 13 is proving more and more deserving of attention with their groundbreaking and genre-defying work. Their fifth album, Multi_Viral," comes after their record-breaking "Entren Los Que Quieran" (2010), for which they racked up numerous awards. They have the record for both the most Latin Grammys won in one night and the most Latin Grammys of all time for a group, with 19 to their name. With such an impressive record, it would seem almost impossible for Calle 13 to match the highs of "Entren Los Que Quieran" with "Multi_Viral," but the Hispanic group manages to do so easily.
"Multi_Viral" represents the culmination of the band's ongoing musical evolution that began with their debut album, "Calle 13" (2005). That album drew its influences from a combination of the local reggaeton and American hip-hop. As the group -- composed of step-siblings Residente, Visitante and PG-13 -- developed, more and more influences fused together in their music. Elements of Latin American music were contrasted with electronica, pop, rock, reggae and soul, which added to the smorgasbord of sounds Visitante laid down. On "Multi_Viral," these influences have all coalesced, and no two songs in the album are entirely similar, adding to its massive scope.
The development of the group as a whole has led to a much more polished sound. Though they do away with much of the excesses found in previous albums, this maturity also means that a lot of the humor found in previous albums has vanished. Calle 13's music, from the very start, has always been rather funny
