1. Salsa Dura
2. Ahora Que Te Tengo Aqui
3. Deja De Criticar
4. Por Tu, Traicion (Salsa Ver)
5. Ana Pa' Mi Tambor
6. American Sueno
7. Duelo De Bongo
8. Caminando
9. Vendio Su Corazon
10. Unidad
11. Por Tu Traicion (Bolero Ver)
2. Ahora Que Te Tengo Aqui
3. Deja De Criticar
4. Por Tu, Traicion (Salsa Ver)
5. Ana Pa' Mi Tambor
6. American Sueno
7. Duelo De Bongo
8. Caminando
9. Vendio Su Corazon
10. Unidad
11. Por Tu Traicion (Bolero Ver)
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Unless something completely loco happens in the coming months to
prove me wrong, I can honesty say this is the best salsa release of
2009, and I actually heard it first in 2008! It’s like when The Spanish
Harlem Orchestra first burst on the scene – I ‘m feeling the same
sense of discovery and excitement at hearing a recording with such
loving attention to detail, realism, lack of attitude, and just enough
rough edges and grit to give you those chills that only classic Latin
music gives. There is a lot of classic 70s retro Nuyorican feeling here
in the hard-core trombones, acoustic piano, and diversity of traditional
dance genres (remember when albums used to list the styles of each
song on the back of the LP?). Their rhythm section has that essential
‘fundamento’ – the African foundation – that is missing from most
recordings these days. Just listen to “Aña Pa Mi Tambor” and you will
know what I am talking about. What is revolutionary about La
Excelencia is their almost punk rock attitude – they don’t gloss things
over, they play hard, they feel with all their hearts, and they don’t put
on airs. Everything they play on the album is exactly what they play live
– no sweetening, no guest spots from a famous artist, no extra
instrumentation, no pop remixes. They are a diverse group of different
personalities (some even come from a rock background – “Duelo De
Bongo” was inspired by “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”). And yet
they are unified in their vision for the band. Theirs is a style that mixes
Cuban, Colombian, and Puerto Rican traditions in a thoroughly
organic way. Each song is a mini-movie, flowing into a concept album
like the best of Willie Colon, Ruben Blades, and ‘Tite’ Curet Alonso. In
today’s market, that makes La Excelencia original, even revolutionary,
and that is their strength. This gem should go a long way to getting
salsa back on track this year – so join the party and dig their ‘tumbao
social.’ Major DJ alert. Very, very highly recommended. (Pablo
Yglesias, 2009-01-11) www.descarga.com
prove me wrong, I can honesty say this is the best salsa release of
2009, and I actually heard it first in 2008! It’s like when The Spanish
Harlem Orchestra first burst on the scene – I ‘m feeling the same
sense of discovery and excitement at hearing a recording with such
loving attention to detail, realism, lack of attitude, and just enough
rough edges and grit to give you those chills that only classic Latin
music gives. There is a lot of classic 70s retro Nuyorican feeling here
in the hard-core trombones, acoustic piano, and diversity of traditional
dance genres (remember when albums used to list the styles of each
song on the back of the LP?). Their rhythm section has that essential
‘fundamento’ – the African foundation – that is missing from most
recordings these days. Just listen to “Aña Pa Mi Tambor” and you will
know what I am talking about. What is revolutionary about La
Excelencia is their almost punk rock attitude – they don’t gloss things
over, they play hard, they feel with all their hearts, and they don’t put
on airs. Everything they play on the album is exactly what they play live
– no sweetening, no guest spots from a famous artist, no extra
instrumentation, no pop remixes. They are a diverse group of different
personalities (some even come from a rock background – “Duelo De
Bongo” was inspired by “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”). And yet
they are unified in their vision for the band. Theirs is a style that mixes
Cuban, Colombian, and Puerto Rican traditions in a thoroughly
organic way. Each song is a mini-movie, flowing into a concept album
like the best of Willie Colon, Ruben Blades, and ‘Tite’ Curet Alonso. In
today’s market, that makes La Excelencia original, even revolutionary,
and that is their strength. This gem should go a long way to getting
salsa back on track this year – so join the party and dig their ‘tumbao
social.’ Major DJ alert. Very, very highly recommended. (Pablo
Yglesias, 2009-01-11) www.descarga.com
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