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Victor Manuelle ****
Le Pregunte a La Luna (Sony)
Favorite Tracks: 1, 3, 5, 10 |
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Los Adolecentes ****
Ahora Mas Que Nunca (Korta)
Favorite Tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 |
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Grupo Niche ****1/2
Control Absoluto (PPM)
Favorite Tracks: All (except 10) |
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Which is a better record, the one that's likeable after several listens, or the one that grabs you immediately? As we ponder that question let me ask this: which of the two is bound to be a more memorable record? In other words a classic? I ask this because, much like his previous recording, Victor Manuel's latest with the musical partnership of Jose M. Lugo, is not the type of salsa record you might get to like immediately. At least neither one happened for me right away. Maybe it's the way each song is arranged. There's a lot of music in each of these songs. Lots of brass, lots of percussion, lots of dynamics with the background vocals, lots of overall dance material. But most of the CD it's not so obvious in terms of hooks. Hooks that can get you, the listener, humming a melody right away. There are three or four songs that do have the total package: lyrical content, musical satisfaction, and incite dancing. The remaining seven tracks are not so clear cut. There's either, too much or too little emphasis on one or more of the ingredients that make this production kind of it's difficult to get used to. And for my taste, this is a good thing because I find something new to like after every listen. Granted there are some tracks that leave me saying I'm not sure where were they going with this. Is that it? and other times - what on earth were they thinking of? But for all purposes intended, and in its due time; this record will become a classic. If you've liked what the collaboration between Victor Manuelle and Jose M. Lugo has done thus far, then there's no reason why NOT to like this latest one.
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How much of a record's success, or lack there of, is attributed to the talent recorded on it? How much of its due to its producer? I guess the politically correct answer would be somewhere in the middle for both parties. In the case of Los Adolecentes, I'm going to say that 85% of their success is directly linked to their pianist, arranger, leader, and producer Porfi Baloa. He has elevated the role of the percussion section, to a plane that's way above of simple rhythm and time keeping. Bringing Porfi's break patterns to life by making them more than a thing of sound and vision, I credit the musicianship of this group with the remaining 15%. There has to be some serious over-dubbing going on to get some of those breaks... I wonder? As an aspiring percussionist I can tell you that reading music is a thing of discipline and precision. It's do or die, It's a way of life! With four T-bones and one baritone sax, Los Adolecentes is a name that's way too small for their sound. And so are its vocalists. Yes - The singers sound just too immature, too kiddy for this huge sounding band. They yell, they scream, and at times they are singing in tones that can make dogs howl. If there's anything that is truly disappointing about this band is its singers. For the love of all that's sacred - It's their fourth recording! Hildemaro, Erick, and Amilcar Boscan, also have very thin whiny voices. It must be a South American thing. It does seem as if Oscar D'Leon was the last one to be graced with a booming voice. A non-Latino friend of mines asked me a while back, why are all salsa vocalist altos or sopranos? Why isn't there a deep baritone vocalist? I don't know, maybe Porfi Baloa can answer that for us in his next record. He is the producer.
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Thinking it was a new Wichy Camacho record under the musical direction of Cuto Soto or some other Puerto Rican producer, I heard the first single off Grupo Niche's second production for a company named Producciones Profesionales De La Musica (PPM). As the record progressed I ruled out my original guess, and by the grace of God, I learned it was Jairo Varela's group. After getting over the shock of it being one of the first copy protected CDs released in the Tropical Music Arena, I picked it up. And since ripping it, I haven't been able to eject this recording out of my portable MP3 player. Much less out of my computer! This latest venture by the group is by far, their best work since Cielo De Tambores & Un Alto En El Camino. This time around, Grupo Niche is several notches up from Grupo Gale and Quinto Mayor; for they are much more than a straight mambo, or remakes of The Fania classics of the seventies. With three brand new front men, this ensemble made up of standard issue brass & percussion section, plus string quartet; doesn't miss a beat. And what a great beat! It's worth mentioning that, unlike its previous batch of vocalists, Mauro Castillo, Maury Snyder, and Cesar Schiavone seem to have a better discipline in their singing and commendable control in the art of the soneo. Something Grupo Niche always seemed to lack. Grupo Niche is now in course to remain the premier band that's ever come out of Colombia now and for many years to come.
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