Salsa/Latin Music CD Reviews - Palo Salsero

CD Reviews

Gilberto Santa Rosa ** Directo Al Corazón (Norte/Sony Discos) Favorite Tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9	Grupo Tránsito **** La Nueva Combinacion (Norte/Sony Discos) Favorite Tracks: 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11	Ralphy Santi 1/2 Todavia Tengo Ansia (Muziq Records) Favorite Tracks: All
There many fans of Gilberto Santa Rosa out there. Many of them like his versatility. Quite a few like the balladeer in him, and others prefer the straight up salsa sonero that has earned him a 25 plus year career in the genre. This review is aimed at those who prefer the gritty sonero, as opposed to the fluffy ascot wearing "cantante de cartel" balladeer he has become in this record. Directo Al Corazon has 10 tracks, half of them are syrupy- yet well produced ballads. The remaining tracks are progressive salsa tracks. They are the kind of salsa tracks we've learned to expect from (and have grown accustomed to in) Jose Lugo. They vary from the tipico, to the lightly fussed with reggaeton salsa. That includes a very playful Gilberto mimicking an icon of the genre - Tego Calderon. Those are the facts regarding this record. Now here's the thing. I can tolerate one, two, maybe three well done boleros/ballads in any salsa record. Not five. I love ballads - from ballad vocalists such as, Braulio, Ricardo Montaner, Chayanne, and many others. I love a good song. But I don't like a salsa record from a salsa artist that doubles as a ballad. I'm sure that fans of balladeers like Raphael or Jose Luis Perales, do not want 5 tracks of anything other than ballads in their records. Is either or! Not both. Gilberto is no exception. This... For my taste, makes Directo Al Corazon the most boringly pretentious Gilberto Santa Rosa record ever! Gilberto Santa Rosa is now a card carrying member of the salsa elite. That is the exclusive club of salseros who appear to have out grown the genre, and suddenly find it beneath them. And thus must merge it and fuse it with other "eclectic" (a fancy word musicians throw around to label their art, when no one else gets it) music forms. I find Directo Al Corazon insultingly boring only because is ballad heavy. But if you are particularly tolerant of 5 ballads, then you could pretty much enjoy this record; for they are quality produced ballads that can give Laura Pausini, Miguel Bose, David Bismal a run for their money. Now here's the question that will ultimately make or brake your desire to buy this record: Are you willing to pay for, what in most cases is, a $15 GSR record that is... well... half and half with sugar on top? ###	With the talent involved in this production you gotta figure, there's nothing that could ruin what should be a very good debut record for Grupo Transito. Take a look. The vocals are anchored by Tito Allen, Junior Gonzalez, Ray Sepulveda, Johnny Rivera, George Lamond, Alexa Rojas, and new comer Luisito Figueroa Roig. Overseeing the arrangements done by Ricky Gonzalez, Lucho Cueto, Willie Ruiz, Rene Leyva, with a small cameo by Eddie Martinez; is Angel Fernandez. The record is engineered and mixed to my liking. It is quite a thick sounding record. A rarity for what I've come to expect from Angel Fernandez. His productions in the past have been very bright and thin for my taste. The music is also quite simple and straight forward - Another rarity for Angel, since his past productions have been extremely busy sounding with just too much going on. With lots of fender and snare work, Michael Stuart comes to mind. At any rate - having said all the above, I'm extremely surprised that this production - with so much talent involved - is what it is. Allow me to elaborate. For starters the popular duo of Ray Sepulveda & Johnny Rivera - popular on the strength of one song that was recorded 13 years ago - is wasted by singing a tribute song to El Gran Combo. That, in it of itself is not bad; though I would've preferred another type of song. A hit song, instead of a filler. Then in the stale norm that is re-doing and re-recording the hits of yesteryear, Grupo Transito showcases the talents of George Lamond, Ernesto Escalona, Alexa Rojas, and new comer Luisito Figueroa Roig in an almost note for note remake of Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe 's "Ah ah - O no", Celia Cruz' "Dime Si Llegue a Tiempo (bailen con la punta ‘el pie) ", and Frankie Ruiz' "Esta Cobardia" respectively. Luisito Figueroa does offer a bit more bite than Frankie's version. Continuing the throw-something- at-the-wall-hoping-it-sticks trend, Johnny Rivera is picked to sing another remake of another Willie Colon/Hector Lavoe song - "Si La Vez". Gentlemen the creativity well is bone dry. Junior Gonzalez does a standard issue rah-rah-I'm- Puerto-Rican type of song that, other than throwing a couple of good soneos and a soprano sax solo by Mario Rivera, does absolutely nothing. It is a rather forgettable song. But not all is grim for this Angel Fernandez production. Tito Allen, the anchor of this wandering ship, sings what has to be one of the toughest songs to follow and to some degree understand. Maybe it is so because it tells a story that doesn't dwell on anything romantic or erotic for a change. Written by Angel Fernandez and arranged by Ricky Gonzalez, Tito sings about the anxiety a musician feels when out of the blue he is asked to travel to a foreign place and perform his music to an audience he knows nothing about. It is an interesting song that kind of complicates itself by trying, at times, too hard to remain simple. Tito also sings another song... A more traditional and fun song about a woman named "Maria Novela". Pretty much it's self explanatory. Johnny Rivera turns in a decent performance on a song written by Anthony Rios. He kind of saves face for the previously mentioned disappointment. Even less grim are the pleasantly shocking surprises that are "Solo" and "Lo Eres Todo" respectively sung by George Lamond and Alexa Rojas. George Lamond's salsa singing is mature and is pretty much uncluttered... Free of DLGisms. Alexa Rojas - Formerly known simply as Alexa back in 1995 - unequivocally shines in what has to be her best song to date. She sings the best song in the entire record. Alexa, George Lamond, and Tito Allen are clearly carrying Angel Fernandez' Grupo Transito. A little while back I took my wife out to dinner. The place wasn't the best place in town, but it was convenient. She ordered Shrimp Alfredo simply because "there's no way to ruin Shrimp Alfredo". That got me thinking. This record is absolutely not ruined, but it came awfully close. ###	Here's the God's honest truth. Eventhough this is Ralphy Santi's record, it really sounds like Carlos "el grande"'s record, for he does a tremendous job lending his vocal abilities to this three trumpet one trombone conjunto dance-a-thon. Is a conjunto record that sounds bigger and fuller than any conjunto you've heard in recent years. It is like this CD is his business card for more work down the road. Similarly, this Ralphy Santi record is Ernie Acevedo business card too, since it's his best production, outside of his flagship Conjunto Imagen, to date. There's not a single lame or boring song. It is a well documented fact that I hate remakes, especially if the copy note for note the original and add nothing worthy of praise to the tune. Ralphy chooses to re-do the song titled "Margie". A song that I know of from Ray Barretto. This Ralphy Santi version sounds nothing like the Barretto version. In fact, if you can believe this; it has more swing that Barretto's. The song is fluid, and it includes some serious coro changes that's beyond anything you've heard in 20 years! With guys Kevin Rodriguez, Willie Ruiz, Rene Leyva, Chino Nuñez, Gino Picart, and Charlie Garcia; one can't help but to think New York Salsa is on it's way back. And if Ernie Acevedo has his way - it will. ###