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Sound Loaded
Ricky
Martin
In addition to setting female pulses racing the world over with his gyrating hips and smouldering good
looks, Ricky Martin injected pop with a much needed dose of sex and energy with the chart-storming booty shake
of "Livin' La Vida Loca". And while swooning ballads "Come To Me", "Nobody Wants To Be Lonely" and "The
Touch" show off his romantic charms to perfection, once again it's the full-on Latin stompers of his second English
language album that justify the Latin lover's superstar status. Which is probably why Ricky spends most of Sound
Loaded singing over rasping horns and grinding salsa grooves about being tempted and seduced, "Livin' La Vida
Loca"-style, by wayward women who charm "fools who are handsome or clever" ("Are You In It For Love"),
look "like a flower and sting like a bee" ("She Bangs") and make him "feel like dancing down on the Riviera" ("St.
Tropez"). He even ups the Latin style by including Spanish versions of hip-quakers "She Bangs", "Loaded" and
smoocher "Come To Me". It takes a special kind of star to pull off pop with this much raunch. For a second album
in a row, Ricky Martin's proved he is perfectly equipped for the job. --Dan Gennoe
available on CD.
Vuelve
Ricky
Martin
The most successful of ex-Menudo members, Ricky Martin delivered a worldwide hit with the club
favorite "Maria" (you know, the "un, dos, tres, Maria!" song), and here he follows up with more urgent, catchy
pop tunes with emphasis again on danceable rhythms. Solid-impact tunes include the terrific and upbeat "Marcia
Baila" and the percussion- and horn-driven opener "Por Arriba, por Abajo," complete with African chants.
Occasional soft tunes like the samba-flavored "La Bomba" and the melancholy "Casi un Bolero" only serve as
time-outs from the dance fever evoked on tunes like the finger-snapping "Lola, Lola" and the rhythmic title track.
Weak is "No Importa la Distancia," a bland cover of Michael Bolton's "Hercules." --Ramiro Burr
available
on CD.
Ricky Martin
Ricky
Martin
Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin's self-titled first English-language album is a triumph of an
omnivorous world-pop sensibility--but more important is that at its best, it's a real kick. The first single, "Livin' La
Vida Loca," employs a revved-up ska tempo to praise a girl whose "lips are devil red [and] skin's the color of
mocha." Martin is no less irresistible on the disc's other uptempo numbers, such as "Spanish Eyes," "The Cup of
Life" (the 1998 World Cup theme which with he stole the Grammy telecast a few months before this CD's release),
and the Soul Coughing-indebted "Shake Your Bon-Bon." Ricky Martin loses momentum with its draggier
ballads--even the much-touted Madonna duet, "Be Careful (Cuidade con Mi Corazon)," doesn't spark--but overall,
it deserves its inevitable multiplatinum success. --Rickey Wright
available on CD.
Salsa En Atare
Juan
Carlos Alfonso & Su Dan Den
Absolutely fab!
available on CD.
Buena Vista Social Club
Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder's name has helped bring attention to this session, but it's the veteran Cuban son
musicians who make this album really special. Reminiscent of Ellington in its scope and sense of hushed
romanticism, Buena Vista Social Club is that rare meld of quietude and intensity; while the players sound laid-back,
they're putting forth very alive music, a reminder that aging doesn't mean taking to bed. Barbarito Torres's laoud
solo on "El Cuarto de Tula" is both more blinding and more tasteful than any guitar showcase on any recent rock
album; a quote from "Stormy Weather" and some very distinct parallels to Hawaiian styles remind us of why it's
called "world music." --Rickey Wright
available on CD.
Dublin To Dakar: A Celtic Odyssey
Various artists
Celtic music and culture, often believed to be of Irish and Scottish descent only,
has captured America's fancy. Lord of the Dance and its ilk feed into the phenomenon of a recently enamored
public. Names like Caitlin, Breana, and McKenna serve themselves up on the circuit's Most Popular Baby Name
lists; Irish bar bands flourish; and listeners from both coasts continue to groove to the abrasive defiance of The
Pogues' Shane McGowan as rubbed up against melodious Guinness-fueled reels. Now Putumayo offers the
compelling collection veritable feast of worldwide Celtic music, accompanied by excellent liner notes detailing the
migration-derived legacy of the Celts. Featuring multilingual artists from Italy, France, Spain, and Guinea, among
other countries, the compilation is an exciting blend of tradition and startling innovation, ranging from slightly
precious elfin sounds to reggae-inflected dance music and emotive balladry to a gypsy-inspired reel. --Paige La
Grone
available on CD.
Afro-Latino
Various Artists
A well chosen
compilation of 12 songs, "Afro Latino" features artists from both sides of the Atlantic, including some based in the
USA. The marriage of African and Cuban rhythm and tradition is incredibly fertile, witnessed by the many
different takes on this most sensual and swinging mix from Cuba, Senegal, Angola, Cape Verde, The Congo, and
even Peru. From the acoustic guitar-led Quarteto Oriente (playing in Cuba's "oriente" style) to Congo's soukous
supergroup Les 4 Etoiles, the legendary Orchestra Baobab and Africando, this is a top flight introduction to the
many flavors of Afro-Cuban music. Included from Putamayo's Artist label are the salsa tinged Ricardo Lemvo &
Makina Loca and well established Congolese guitarist/songwriter Sam Mangwana, now residing in the USA.
Afro-Cuban music has never been more vital, and this collection is a good place to start your explorations. --Derek
Rath
available on CD.
One World
Various Artists
available on CD.
Putumayo Presents Cuba
Various Artists
At once spicy hot and languorously sweet, Putumayo Presents Cuba is a passionate
marriage of active and passive, masculine and feminine, a contemporary festival of sound whose roots were born in
defiance of onerous distraction and oppression. Based on Afro-Cuban culture, whose music comes from a
combination of European and African instrumentation, the songs in this collection swing with the energetic
rhythms of traditional son (also the base of salsa). Layered over the repetitive beat, guitars chime, maracas add
shimmy, and trumpets take the upper accent melody, often repeating or contrasting the main vocal melody. One of
the finest contributions to the disc is Mi Son's "Mecanica de Amor," in which the band substitutes the violin for the
lead trumpet, making a treat of the unexpected. Irakere's funky fusion "Boliviera" comes on gangbusters with
beefy bass, full horn section, and featured flute melody. Containing superb liner notes, Putumayo Presents Cuba
makes a fine introduction to this island's rich sound, and a superb remedy to the blues. --Paige La Grone
available on CD.
Brasileiro
Various
Artists
Brasiliero, a wonderfully diverse introduction to Brazilian music, is a sophisticated blend of folk-pop
and cool jazz, as embraced by artists both well and little known, in the most popular styles: samba, bossa nova, and
MBP (musica popular Brasileiro). As with Cuban music, the greatest influence on Brazilian music came from
African slaves who were imported to farm sugar, tobacco, and cotton plantations. With that influence comes a
complex rhythmic structure and a prevailing sense of melancholy. Bearing this out, "Daca de Solidao" ("Dance of
Solitude") is deliciously thick as performed by the dusky-voiced Beth Carvalho. Chico Cesar's "Mama Africa" is a
perfect sociopolitical pop hit, blending hard-hitting lyrics with bouncy percussion and Jamaican reggae. Other
standouts include Jorge Ben's wiggly feel-good romp "O Namorado da Viuva" ("The Widow's Boyfriend") and
Joao Bosco's dancing guitar on "Vatapa," which pays homage to the traditional dish of the same name. --Paige La
Grone
available on CD.
Caribe! Caribe!
Various Artists
available on CD.
Sobres Las Olas
Latin Brothers
available on CD.
Azucar
Los Van Van
available on CD.
La Coleccion Cubana
Los Van Van
Led by bassist and composer Juan Formell, the group Los Van Van--a sort of
neo-charanga, the typical violin and flute ensemble--has been perhaps the most influential group in contemporary
Cuban popular music for the past 30 years. Some of the group's innovations, especially in the refined updating of
traditional rhythms with a pop and rock sensibility, are in evidence in this collection, which features mostly songs
recorded in the 1980s and early 1990s. (Don't look for much more information than that in the accompanying
booklet.) This is a group that can groove implacably and keep a light, sensual swing. Check out "Por Encima de
Nivel," "Sera Que Se Acabo," or "Muevete." This is irresistible dance music--but also worth a close listen.
--Fernando Gonzalez
available on CD.
Best of Los Van Van
Los
Van Van available on CD.
De Cuba Los Van Van With Salsa
Formell
Los Van Van
available on CD.
The Best of Matt bianco
Matt Bianco
available on CD.
Salsa Fresca
Various
Artists
available on CD.
Mi Vida Es Cantar
Celia Cruz At this point in Celia Cruz's 40-plus year career--over 20 Gold albums; collaborations
with salsa greats Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colon, Tito Puente and the Fania All-Stars; and countless awards--you
would expect the Queen of Afro-Cuban music to run out of ideas and song titles, let alone steam! Yet, this
indefatigable grandma, who counts among her living-legend peers American jazz orishas Aretha and Sarah,
remains an inexhaustible fount of some of the most luscious sounds to rock this planet. Cruz's party verve still
rages feverishly high, that butterscotch voice is as rich and emotive as ever, and she still rides those vocals just as
smoothly over this set's sizzling Latin jams, produced by the excellent Ralph Mercado and played by a stellar crew
of salsa-meisters. The title of evergreen Cruz's latest jolt of pure central nervous system stimulation says it all: in
English, it means, "My Life Is To Sing". --Elena Oumano
available on CD.
Strictly Salsa
Starring Elder SanchezLearn salsa on video from Elder Sanchez, one of the top London salsa teachers
available in Video .
Salsa
by Sue Steward, Willie Colon Salsa is the irresistible, passionate dance music of the Spanish-speaking world,
the lifeblood of millions of Latin Americans - and American Latins - from the barrios of New York to the
mansions of Puerto Rico and the crumbling apartments of Havana. Salsa's songs are the voices of Latin America;
they accompany political struggles and domestic love scenes. Salsa is the music of Celia Cruz and Tito Puente, the
Queen and King of Salsa, Ray Barretto, linking the night-club and jazz circuits, and Gloria Estefan, the Miami
Cuban who brought Salsa to an international audience. This book offers a comprehensive guide to Salsa music, its
history, its key figures, and its complex relationship with different countries. From Havana before and after the
revolution to Spanish Harlem to Santo Domingo, the home of the merengue and across to the cities of Columbia.
Drawing on interviews with musicians and composers, with portraits of star performers and singers as well as
sections on Latin beats, a discography and bibliography, this is the complete and up-to-date story of Salsa.
available in
paperback .
Maori Songs
Kiri Te
Kanawa
Opera fans are bound to be disappointed, but almost everyone else will find something to like in this
easy-listening, simple, direct, sometimes tuneful and treacly, sometimes rhythmically strong music, performed here
by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and an assortment of other singers and players. Dame Kiri is part Maori, and this music
returns her to her roots: Lovely melodies abound, some interesting accompaniments are to be found, and a glimpse
into a world we rarely get to see is most welcome. But classical music aficionados will walk away a bit hungry--this
is world music, this is folk music, but this is not operatic in any way. Te Kanawa uses an easy-flowing, "pop" sound
and is closely miked; at times it barely sounds like her at all. But for what it is, it certainly pleases, and fans of this
soprano will be interested in hearing this side of her. There's enjoyable music here, but those allergic to sentiment
be warned--some of this music makes "Feelings" seem cynical. --Robert Levine available on CD.
more coming soon....
Last updated 3 March,
2001
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