NEWSDAY / Ed Morales - For a moment in the late '90s, merengue singer Elvis Crespo was at the center of the tropical music universe. After years on the Puerto Rican merengue scene with Grupo Manía, he had released a debut album, "Suavemente," with a title track that was a massive hit. The night he played the Copacabana, Jennifer López shared a table with P. Diddy, and the crowd danced into the wee hours.

A lot has changed since then. While salsa has fluctuated in popularity, reggaetón and bachata have caught on with young people; and merengue, while still a standby at many clubs and wedding dances, has lost much of the momentum it had in the 1980s and '90s.

Crespo, always an unusual figure with his long, straight, jet-black hair and his melancholy tenor, has labored for the past three years on his new album, "Regresó el Jefe" (Machete/Universal), in the hopes of restoring merengue to its past glory. While Crespo has tried to create pop-merengue fusions in the past, this new attempt seeks to reinvent his career with an urban-reggaetón tinge.

Crespo's choice of Machete Records, known for urban sounds, was a smart move.

"They are very youth-oriented and they gave me freedom to express my creativity," Crespo said in a phone interview. "I'm very open, and I've paid attention to what young people are asking for. The fact that a label that focuses on urban music is paying attention to me is a very positive sign for tropical music."

While none of the songs employ the standard reggaetón beat, they have the feel of merengue redone with a reggaetón vibe. The beat is slower, the grooves suggest hip-hop, and one song, "Bambaríbiri," features rapper Ñejo.

"The first single, 'La Foto Se Me Borró,' is a collaboration with a group of 18- to 21-year-olds called Zone de Tambora, who lend a freshness to my work," Crespo said. The song, about how the disappearance of a digital photo can disrupt a romance, is a successful merengue-bachata fusion.

A song such as "20 Aky" works the slower merengue beat with synthesizer lines that give it a hip-hop atmosphere, while "Lloré y Lloré" uses electric guitar riffing and elaborate horn parts to reinforce the idea that you're listening to a different kind of merengue. Crespo also covers Los Fabulosos Cadillacs singer Vicentico's 2004 hit "Los Caminos de la Vida" in collaboration with merengue giants Los Hermanos Rosario, an uncanny fusion of the alternative with the traditional. "I love what it says in that song," Crespo said. "The paths of life/Are not the ones I expected." Other guests include merengueros Grupo Manía and Gisselle.

While Crespo admits that he originally wanted to be a salsa singer, he eventually became a merengue convert. "I love to feel the tambora drum behind me, the guira accompanying me," he said. "I have an unusual voice where I let my soul come out. Some people tell me they think I sound black; others tell me I sound like a woman. I think God gave me the gift of feeling what people feel. And they identify with that."

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