Orlando "Maraca" Valle
Descarga Total
Ahi-Nama
Descarga Total is the second production I've heard from Maraca.
The first one, 1998's Sonando, made my best of list for that year
due to the fact that it was (and still is) a forceful dance oriented recording
that kept the listener in mind without over complicating the basic essence of
legitimate Cuban rhythms. Descarga Total builds on that 1998
release by keeping all the elements that made Sonando so good, and
adding just a little bit of the right spice to an already tasty dish. The first
track is indicative of what I am describing. Here the level of aggressiveness is
unlike anything I've heard this entire year. For the most part I have not been
impressed by much of the Cuban soneros. In comparison to guys like Ismael,
Chamaco, Lavoe, Sanchez, Allen, and Santa Rosa, with the exception of Son 14's
Tiburón, Cuban soneros seem to lack a certain finesse in their delivery which
makes them a little bit less of attention grabbers. Not the case here!
Wilfredo Campa and Yumurí represent what a sonero is, a skilled vocalist
with a great ability to apply an impressive vocabulary within a musical measure
that when it’s cohesively put together says something musically at the end.
Maraca's Descarga Total is everything other alleged forms of Cuban
music are not, Tropical Latin music at its best.
Jerry Rivera
Para Siempre (Forever)
Sony
This is the first Jerry Rivera CD I officially review.
Containing only four straight salsa tracks, three ballads, and one plena, backed
by a huge string section from Miami and Puerto Rico, Para Siempre
is Jerry Rivera's most mature recording ever, both musically and lyrically. It's
commercial salsa all the way, with its catchy hooks and melodies, but boldly
aggressive for salseros. A fast paced recording made up from a superb band that
capitalizes on every possible chance to increase the levels of creative
spontaneity, which safely induce salsa overdosing. Credited with the creation of
the soneos is one of my favorite, underrated, and unknown sonero/songwriter of
all time, Axel Martinez. The maturity of this Jerry Rivera production is not
just evident in the material exhibited in this production, but it's also
exhibited within the acknowledgments. Crediting the late Mario Ortiz as a
musical giant, validates Jerry Rivera, at least in my book, as a guy that's
trying to do the right thing when it comes to performing tropical Latin music.
Pedro De Jesus
Amar Es Algo Mas
MP
Tito Gomez's 1998 record was the last MP production worthy of a review in my
opinion. Basically everything after that, including Tito Rojas, was pretty much
lame until the calender year 2000. Tired of low sales, the folks at MP decided
to revamp the label and return to the basics. They got together with Ramon
Rodriguez, via their
distribution
partnership with Sony, tweaked their production staff a bit, and decided to keep
the salsa tipico and straight. Added a young new talent that, so far, seems to
be more than just a pretty face. The end result is the young Cuban triple
threat, singer, sonero, and songwriter, Pedro De Jesus. Pedro De Jesus is the
best thing that has happened to MP records since Luisito Carrion in 1992. Titled
Amar Es Algo Mas, MP has in their hands the most aggressive salsa
record in eight years filled with uplifting moñas, breaks, and coro changes.
Remember their prior years? When their horrible coro changes were matched with
terrible pseudo timba changes that dragged and killed the song? Not the case
here! The fat bass sound is back, and out is the snare-drum and bass guitar. The
mambos swing and are very energetic. The breaks and changes are fast and
furious. The coros are awesomely catchy, and in fact, the songs are so great
that they seem much longer than what they really are! Trust me, that's a good
thing. You really hate it when they end! If Pedro De Jesus is the benchmark of
the new MP, I can hardly wait to hear what else they got brewing.
- Nestor Louis
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