To make a salsa record, you need three things: clave rhythm, "el sabor" and a somewhat decent singer. In Dos Campeones there is clave, the "sabor" too, and there are two singers. Yes, but one of the two is a professional and titled boxer.
Two brief biographies:
-Camilo Azuquita is a salsa singer. He was born in Panama, which, contrary to what one might suppose, is a place where salsa is produced in considerable quantity, although the three main centers remain Puerto Rico, New York, and Colombia.
Camilo has a beautiful voice but the compositions offered to him over the years have never made it to the charts: we must admit they are quite mediocre musically, at least when compared to the rest of salsa, a genre that reveals many hidden gems and many unexpected successes. Not for Camilo, who is still practically a ghost even for enthusiasts, never having produced any song that makes you say "oh yes he's the one who did THAT".
-Roberto Duran may have only sung in the shower before recording this album. However, he has thrown many punches, and taken many too. He is also Panamanian by birth and was awarded with 5 titles across different weight categories. He participated as a "sparring partner" in the movie Rocky II. He even has a Wikipedia page in Italian (and quite lengthy too), which Camilo Azuquita might envy. For once and only once, he performed Panamanian salsa, on this album.
There is a third biography that should be made, of an elusive character. The producer of this album. But I think it's more effective to ask a simple question: "Is the person who came up with this album a marketing genius or a complete lunatic?". A pinch of the first, at least in intentions, and mainly the latter.
In Dos Campeones Camilo Azuquita continues his trajectory, which lasts to this day, of mediocrity, with little standing out except two tracks that at most reach a 6.5 out of 10.
The title track, Dos Campeones, is a light and standard salsa, one of the two best on the record, flows without leaving precise memories but placed in a playlist with various others from the same period, it wouldn't look out of place. Next is Sabor A Mi a forgettable romantic ballad.
And finally Bon Jour Madame, written like this. Well, the piece is like all the others, nothing exceptional. This if it weren't for "the champion" taking the place at the microphone. Duran sings badly, he's not a singer, it's to be expected. Nasal, shrill voice, it doesn't work with salsa. Or maybe it works great and I don't understand anything (possible!). The chorus in the refrain says "Now sings Roberto Duran, in Spanish and French!". The only words in French that Duran says in the piece are "Bonjur Madame" and "je parle francais madmoiselle" where madmoiselle sounds more like "mammelle".
Fortunately, as soon as he finishes, the other one snatches the microphone from him and takes back his place as the protagonist for the remaining tracks. All except one: Sueño Con Cuba. Here, Duran sings even worse than before. In fact, this time he's given a composition with a more "strained" vocal line, with long-held final vowels, with high notes that the other wouldn't have a problem sustaining, but in the hands of the boxer, become the wails of a cat whose tail someone has inadvertently stepped on.
All the other unlisted tracks are as filling as they are forgettable.
This album deserves a 3 out of 5, though, for courage. However, it fails to be that punch in the stomach (pun intended) that someone expected (including me).
So I ask myself: Is the person who came up with this album a marketing genius or a complete lunatic?
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