El Hombre Merengue

Pochy y Su Cocoband frontman Kinito Mendez's solo debut is merengue at its most festive: Even before he sneaks a bit of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" into "Santo Merengue," you can tell there's some celebrating going on. The album's pace never lets up; every track features infectious call-and-response vocals and hyperactive bongos and congas. The finale, "El Animal," takes the party out of bounds with a kids' chorus, goofy baritone sax, and, of course, lots of animal noises.