For years I have been left bewildered and amazed by the enigma that is Armando Christian Pérez, a man more commonly referred to as his stage name Pitbull. Known for his charm and charisma, his ability to sample classic anthems such as Aha’s ‘Take On Me’ and transform them into chart topping, floor filling, head bangers has only improved with age. At the ripe age of 34, Pitbull is a veteran of pop music and seems to have been around forever. His rise to fame came with his fourth album Rebelution in 2009, including the sensational club track ‘I Know You Want Me’.

Pitbull’s latest album Dale, does not see him stray from his usual style. The majority of Dale is in Spanish, yet despite my knowledge of the Spanish language being relatively novice, there is a definite sense of fun in each track. The very few uses of English within this album is usually Pitbull reminding his doting listeners of his status as the self-proclaimed ‘Mr Worldwide’, which is always accompanied by his odd signature howl. Throughout the album, Pitbull taps into the same formula involved with all previous success, brimming with auto tuned vocals, salsa beats and guest appearances. Famous for his collaborations, with previous tag teams including Kesha and Usher, Pitbull does not disappoint with an appearance from Ricky Martin in ‘Haciendo Ruido’. Martin’s soothing vocals combined with Pitbull’s sheer ferocity creates an all round wonderful sound. Other top tracks include ‘El Taxi’, in which Pitbull has poetically included the noise of beeping traffic, and ‘No Puedo Mas’, which has a strikingly similar sound to Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me’.

Overall, Pitbull has delivered an album that can only be described as standard and exactly would you would expect. Despite no obvious smash hit and a vast amount of collaborations, Pitbull’s usual fast-paced, Spanglish style shines through. Kanye West recently declared himself as the greatest living rockstar. I think its time he realised that the real rockstar is in fact Mr 305, Pitbull.

Nathan Dale