On
MTO²: New Generation, the former king of reggaeton sounds more "former" than ever before, not because of the quality of the music but because of the wide variety of genres explored on this diverse set. Of course, this is the second entry in
Omar's
Meet the Orphans series, so plenty of protégés and some guests help to broaden the horizons, but
the Don is versatile before any new blood shows up, offering a
Shakira-big carnival during the opening "Hasta Que Salga el Sol" before going full Latin pop on "Zumba," the amiable theme song for the exercise craze of the same name. The biggest surprise might be the floor-filling throwback "FML" (with rapper
MIMS), which channels the spirits of
Lords of Acid,
Nortec, and
LMFAO for an over the top and unquotable -- leave the kids at home -- diva theme. Maybe it's the influence of the Moombahton genre, but reggaeton gets its BPMs slowed for the more traditional highlight "Asi Es Que Es," which features stern rapper
Syko in one of his many angry and exciting
MTO² appearances. Can't pigeonhole this one, and while the reggaeton purist might consider this
Omar going off the rails, you can't blame him for thinking on a global,
Wyclef, or
Pitbull level, at least not when he pulls it off so well and sounds so entirely inspired while doing it. ~ David Jeffries