PALO!
This is Afro-Cuban Funk
Afro-Cuban funk is Cuban music for the new generation. And the leader of the sound is the Miami based band Palo, led by Steve Roitstein. Their new CD opens up with “Lengua Larga,” a perfect balance of funk and Afro-Cuban rhythms dedicated to the gossip queens of the world. In “Pa’ Chango” the band celebrates the god of fire using batá rhythms, chants, and electric funk beats that will make the warrior deity dance in the sky with divine thunder.
PACHA MASSIVE
If You Want It
If fusion is the future of music then Ramon Nova, founder of Pacha Massive, is ahead of the game, with his bilingual fusion of electronica and Latin rhythms. The New York City-based musician holds nothing back on his second release. He pushes the envelope stylistically and supplies his special-guest vocalists Monica Rodriguez, Sara Valenzuela, Liz Wright and Yasi Baby with fun bilingual lyrics. The title track, “If You Want It,” will make you bop with its upbeat electronic sound.
Mercedes Sosa
Cantora
Joining the queen of the Nueva Canción in this larger-than-life production is a slew of Latin-music royalty. In “Canción para un niño en la calle” Calle 13’s René Pérez brings his urban lyrical style, creating a dark, haunting song about children living in the streets. Sosa revisits one of her popular tunes, “La Maza,” with Shakira and stays true to the original version, a soaring and uplifting ballad perfect for the marching masses.