Daddy Yankee “El Cartel: The Big Boss”

Daddy Yankee is back – even if he never really left the scene.

The reggaetón crossover sensation known as El Cangri ("the boss") could be accused of overstating his return in the buildup to the release of El Cartel: The Big Boss given that many of his songs are still blasting on urban Latin radio. But how else could he follow up the trendsetting success of Barrio Fino, the multi-platinum album that introduced the genre to mainstream American audiences if not by going bigger? Much bigger.

On El Cartel: The Big Boss, everything is larger-than-life: from its militaristic concept to its seemingly unending list of collaborators and radio-friendly "singles," this sequel is all about taking it to the next level – over and over again.

It takes bravado to want to be so many things to so many people – and that's a quality Daddy Yankee – aka, Raymond Ayala – does not lack. On this critical second coming, the 30-year-old from Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, strikes an awesome pose with lyrics steeped in the rhetoric of a dictator. On the squelchy and bombastic Mensaje de Estado (akin to a "state of the union" address), he goads:

El boss no falla
denme batalla ...
Se paraliza el mundo cuando hablo
no le temo a las tropas del diablo.

The boss doesn't fail
bring me to battle...
the world stands still when I speak
I don't fear the devil's army.

On more than a few tracks, Daddy Yankee is fighting a war with anyone who might try to take over his premier status, relying primarily on his rapid-fire flow – which sometimes threatens to go out of control – to fend off any MC's wishing to challenge his rule.

That's not to say El Cartel is a defensive maneuver: no doubt aware of the rumors regarding the death of reggaetón, Daddy Yankee is venturing into new territory – mostly, pop. The salsa of "Ella Me Levanto" is not far from Los Van Van while Todos Quieren a Raymond unashamedly displays a heavy Eminem influence – just as its title coyly hints at El Jefe's imminent arrival as an American pop icon. Covering all his bases, "El Jefe" even makes a curious play for the underground – the dance floor – with the techno freak-fest Who's Your Daddy; a foamy, snare-popping banger ala the latest from DJ Nelson. (Fans of Héctor "El Father"'s ode to modern love "El Teléfono" can rejoice – Daddy Yankee's version is called "El Celular.")

That impulse to please all parties is even more obvious on the slow-rollin' Bring It On, featuring Senegalese R&B revelation Akon and an arrangement which could be this summer's bid for "California Love". There's even more clever pop on Plane to PR which leads with the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am and proceeds to make a pitch for interracial unity over a bed of balmy synths and pointy beats. On the Mediterranean Papi Lover, the main melody is expertly traced by a finger piano as the breathy Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger takes over.

If you're wondering which of the album's 21 tracks comes closest to the intensity of his break-out hit La Gasolina, you've probably already seen it: Impacto with Fergie and produced by Scott Storch comes roaring out of the gate with a crisp melody, cascading vocoder lines and a steady climbing crescendo that doesn't waste Fergie's signature stylings. (It even manages to salvage the callback "wind it up.")

There's no doubt that this is Yankee's most accomplished effort to date. It may not be the album of the year, but its sheer momentum – and perfect timing – will easily make it the soundtrack of the summer.