Today's Salsa CD review:
Soneros All Stars - ¡Nagüe!
Following the path of the Buena Vista Social Club, Afro-Cuban All Stars, Los Ases de la Timba and others, here is the latest selection of Son VIPs for us to enjoy in a single CD with a mix of Son, Changui and a vague seasoning of Timba.
The format whetted my appetite and I was expecting something extraordinary. In fact, I found something good. There is nothing wrong with this CD at all, but since I was expecting so much, I found missing some of the warm atmosphere usually found in Son.
I guess the CD was produced for a wide audience and with some commercial intentions, and thus includes songs which are a little bit too ‘easy’ and melodies a bit too unchallenging… that kind of music of which, if you are used to son, you can predict the development from the intro and a few bars of singing. Because of this, the CD is mostly suited for beginner dancers, whose taste for hard core Son is not yet well developed. Also, the rhythmic session in surprisingly regular, almost mechanical at times; this also, despite most songs are fairly fast, should suit beginners.
The CD opens with a Son Montuno, ¡Nagüe! ¿Qué Bolá?, on which you may test your Cha-Cha-Cha steps. What follows are a number of fast Son, with strong Changui influences, among which La Tierra Donde Naci has a very good feel. We then have the fastest track, Explotó, followed by the slowest, Soy Amigo, which is suitable for a practice. The best part of the CD comes towards the end with a series of Changui which closely reminds me of Elio Reve’; Changüi A Tres and Goza Este Changüi are my favourite.
Don’t get me wrong, it is a nice Cd, worth buying, maybe I was just expecting too much.
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