Joe Bataan's So Fine

 

Though my favorite song by Joe Bataan remains "Gypsy Woman," sampled by The Fugees, "So Fine," which sounds very similar, also shows off his vocal chops and Latino soul de Nueva York. The only flaw is the lack of extended group improvisation, which could've incorporated more jazz-like piano riffing and percussion. Oh well, the song remains beautiful and Bataan's voice is quite smooth. "Now that you have taken all the love I can give, you're still not satisfied, you don't want me to live." As someone with a recent interest in Afro-Asian studies and encounters, the life and music of someone of African and Filipino descent such as Bataan, who socialized with Spanish Harlem Nuyoricans and Latinos, illustrates a case of Afro-Asian-Latino interactions and musical exchange. Beautiful! "Day by day, my life falls apart, beyond repair is my broken heart. Set me free, don't make a fool of me. You're driving me right out of my mind."