The Calbidos: Barrio Bueno
From Crossfire (Vroomm, 197?). Also available on Extended 12″ (Kudos, 2003).
Toro: Michaela
From 7″ (Scepter, 1975) and Toro (Coco, 1975)
Sophy: Es Lamentable
From Sophy (Velvet, 197?)
“Lados Del Alma” = my weak Spanish translation of “Soul Sides” – if someone can offer a more accurate translation, please feel free to make suggestions. In any case, it’s yet another theme to keep track of (we need some SS Score Cards up in hurr), dedicated to Latin-tinged music. Like European jazz, it’s a genre that I’ve only really been learning much about in the last three or four years but despite my relative ignorance, I’m very much a fan. I’m a sucker for a good boogaloo (and I’ll have to bring some of those to the fore), but I’m an equal opportunity lover of Latin soul, jazz, rock, (of course funk), bossa novas, batucadas, descargas, mambos, guaranchas, etc., etc., etc. There are many, many Latin sub-genres to memorize, covering an immense gamut of Afro-Latin-Cuban-Brazilian influences.
I launch with “Barrio Bueno,” a Latin jazz library record out of Italty. The Cabildos had two albums in the ’70s – Crossfire is actually the inferior one compared with Yuxtaposition (recorded under the name, The Cabildo’s Three) which has nary a flat track. Crossfire is solid, don’t get me wrong, but its “Barrio Bueno” is the main standout. A very laid back, smoky groover, “Barrio Bueno,” sounds like it came off a soundtrack for very hip stoners (this would be a good thing). It’s so good in fact, Kudos Records extended the song and pressed it up on clear vinyl last year.
With Toro…this was a Groove Merchant find – really nice Latin rock album that bears the obvious influence of Santana but doesn’t sound like a clone. Super-producer Harvey Averne (remember Viva Soul?) helms this one (at the Electric Lady Studios no less) and his cross-genre embrace of different styles are well served here and especially for “Michaela,” an excellent Latin soul/rock number which is just one of many great songs off the LP.
And also, Toro just has one of the best logos I’ve ever seen. I want a t-shirt with that on it.
Last, it’s Sophy: only one of the biggest singers in Puerto Rican history which is ironic since I find her singing on this album barely tolerable. No disrespect intended but her voice isn’t particuarly nuanced or dynamic and it also sounds engineered too loudly over the track. This all said, I’m giving her song “Es Lamentable”, off one of her big hit albums on Velvet, a spin because it’s a slick, funky dance number and a female vocal track, thus combining two genres that I get weak in the knees for.
chatter