While Tito Rodriguez played mambo on a par with giants like Tito Puente and Perez Prado, it was his voice that set him apart. Whether it's mambo, Latin twist, or sentimental ballads, Rodriguez rarely strayed far from authentic or progressive Latin. Indeed, no other performer epitomizes the Latin showman as well as he: top vocal stylist, versatile musician, sophisticated arranger-composer, handsome bandleader, and New York Latin scene pioneer. Rodriguez's music is quintessential. Given the popularity of all three rhythms listed in the title, it's no surprise that Tito would think of them as his 'loves' – especially since they all helped spur on new energy in Latin music. But over and above the rhythms, the album itself is one of Tito's greatest from the '50s – spare, lean, and with a style that's both lively and jazzy – never dipping into some of the too-heavy modes that Tito succumbed to in later years.