In the Heights (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Lin-Manuel Miranda's debut production blends hip-hop, Latin rhythms, and traditional Broadway tropes in an exciting new way. Latin horns and percussion drive his high-energy depiction of multicultural upper Manhattan, with Miranda's rapping an equally dynamic narrative engine. Fans of old-school Broadway will savor ballads like "Breathe" and "Sunrise," which reveal hopes and conflicts at a more leisurely pace than the breathlessly paced, intricately interwoven ensemble numbers "The Club" and "Blackout," which anticipate Miranda's subsequent smash, Hamilton.