Reggaeton is an imperialistic kingdom, and Don Omar proudly sits on the throne.

The spicy fusion of reggae and rap is becoming an increasingly popular musical genre, hopping off the Caribbean Islands and surfacing on the mainland. Puerto Rico native Omar leads the reggaeton revolution, and his latest album Da Hit Man Presents Reggaeton Latino incorporates Spanglish rhymes and the traditional reggae sound with sizzling techno sound effects. However, unlike his previous work, in which Omar's poignant voice created a pure and unfiltered sound, Da Hit Man is a tad over-synthesized, a tad overproduced and overall disappointing.

Reggaeton emerged in Puerto Rico a few decades ago, but in the last two years the sound has been shipped across the ocean to Spain, flooded the rest of Western Europe and has, even more recently, made its way back to America, where it now dominates the club scenes in Miami, Los Angeles and New York.

It's the latest Latin explosion, and Omar is proud to take credit. On his album's first track, "Reggaeton Latino," Omar boasts, "They say they got my name right next to the veterans/ They say I introduced reggaeton to Americans [thank you]." Omar, with the assistance of other reggaeton artists like Daddy Yankee and Luny Tunes, has worked endlessly over the last few years spreading the musical sound. Together they have cast a musical love spell; the world loves their music and girls love the dreamy Omar.

Despite the country's current love affair with reggaeton, it's hard to predict how the population will react to Da Hit Man. Omar has a soulful voice, but he doesn't use it to his advantage on a majority of the album's tracks. Minus the occasional belting of the obligatory "Oh oh oh," Omar's voice is lost in the production, and his star-studded list of collaborators (Jennifer Lopez, Fat Joe and Tego Calderón, just to name a few) unsuccessfully try to bail him out.

The aforementioned lead-off "Reggaeton Latino" is the album's best offering; it is reggaeton as the world knows it, and it saves the album from being an entire flop. This track is guaranteed to be a club favorite and will probably make its way to the iPods of the mainstream. The world will remember why it fell in love with reggaeton in the first place: it's a thrilling, quivering sound that spreads the Latin love by forcing even the most awkward of individuals to stand up and shake their bon-bon.

And bon-bons are guaranteed to be shaking to the beat of "Scandalous," a face-paced, passionate song that incorporates a blur of Spanglish rhymes with a consistent beat of the drum. Omar's voice enriches this song, unlike other tracks where the dominating instruments overshadow him.

The album's only other chance of success comes with "Hold You Down" featuring the Queen Bee of the Latin world, Jennifer Lopez. Omar and Lopez work surprisingly well together — her innocent and effortless voice adds a more natural feel to Omar's forceful rapping. With the exception of one refrain, this song lacks the typical reggaeton sound, like all the other jams recorded by the J. Lo/rapper hybrid.

However, Omar's biggest mistake on Da Hit Man is that he tries too hard to appeal to mainstream America. He's been deemed reggaeton's Nate Dogg and consequently feels the need to mimic his American counterpart. The result is copycat rap layered atop a reggae beat, a sound more laughable than danceable, more artificial than artistic.

The reason Latin music has exploded in even the most Anglo-Saxon concentrated regions of the country is because it offers something different; it gives ignorant Americans a glimpse into an exotic culture and proves assimilation can be sexy. However, Da Hit Man takes cultural fusion a step back. The album's title alone hints at Omar's attempt to imitate the gangsta-vibe of American hip-hop artists.

His copycat rap songs are too synthetic and his deeper love songs, like the track "Porbe Diale" are lethargic and monotonous. Omar has an amazing natural talent but doesn't manipulate his ability to its full extent. One of the most distinctive elements of reggaeton is a consistent beat through an entire album, and unless the artist uses his voice for all it's worth, the album as a whole, no matter how good the individual tracks are, is going to drag.

Even if Da Hit Man fails to achieve extraordinary sales, the era of reggaeton is far from over. The music of Señor Omar and his rivals is more than a sound, it's an addiction, an addiction even Da Hit Man can't break.

Grade: BC