Bringing Back the Groove

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The Return of a Latin Diva

If there is one name synonymous with the freestyle movement of the 1980s, that name would be Safire. Born Wilma Cosme to Puerto Rican parents in New York City, Safire was one of the first Latinas to really make a mark in popular club music due to her style and vocals. However, when times change, so do taste, and Safire almost disappeared off the map when the freestyle movement started to fizzle in the early 1990s.

"Bringing Back the Groove" is Safire's first English-language album in more than a…

If there is one name synonymous with the freestyle movement of the 1980s, that name would be Safire. Born Wilma Cosme to Puerto Rican parents in New York City, Safire was one of the first Latinas to really make a mark in popular club music due to her style and vocals. However, when times change, so do taste, and Safire almost disappeared off the map when the freestyle movement started to fizzle in the early 1990s.

"Bringing Back the Groove" is Safire's first English-language album in more than a decade. After briefly experimenting with Salsa music during most of the 1990s (like many freestyle divas of past such as Brenda K. Starr and India) Safire released this album which features a various versions of several of her hits. While I can't classify this album as having original material, it is the only album out on the market that contains Safire's English-language tracks.

"Thinking of You," a slow, yet beautiful love song, "Boy I've Been Told" (written by salsa/pop sensation Marc Anthony), and "Gonna Make It," are all freestyle anthems not only covered on this compilation in their original versions, but also in several remixed versions. My favorite versions are this album include Ricky Gonzalez's Salsa Mix of "Thinking Of You," and Choco's Old School Mix of another Safire hit, "Let Me Be The One." The first version captures Safire's hit song with a flavorful, salsa beat that will appeal to many of her Latin fans, which the latter sounds like it was remixed in today's club styles to attract a new legion of fans.

This album is a must have for any who loves freestyle! The memories it brought of me growing up in New York City are priceless and can never be relived. However, thanks to this compilation, I am finally able to listen to what popular music should sound, especially in this age of boy band drones and rivaling teen pop divas. Safire, like Lisa Lisa, Brenda K. Starr, Corina, and other Latin divas of the past, is a legend, and thanks to this album, this album will allow future generations of music lovers to rediscover a major music movement that blended Latin rhythms with English lyrics.

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Written by Luis Hernandez

Where are the original hits?

I was anticipating this CD for weeks, and bought it the day it was released. And although I do like the new tunes very much (the duet with Cynthia is a highlight), I think they should have included more of the original hits and fewer remixes. The remixes feel as if they are trying too hard to be current. It's the original versions that jammed clubs back in the day. What would really rock would be a re-release of her debut album, "Sa-Fire".

Written by an unknown author

Track listing Edit

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Don't Break My Heart (Tony Moran's 2002 Anthem mix)