Music Review: Putumayo Presents: Latin Lounge (2005)

 The latin rhythms get in your blood with this C.D.  It presents several artists.  Paola Fortuni sings to the moon in "Reflejo de Luna".  You can feel the tango beat.  Stefano Micarelli is on guitar and together they call themselves Alacran.  Natalia Clavier also sins over a tango sound in Simple.  "I just limit myself to my simple song."  Very nice voice.  Another song includes tango accordion, Caminhos de Cuba, sung in Portuguese.  Luiz de Aquina is from Brazil.  Ondine Darcyl sings "Besa Me Mucho".  Her voice has a mystrious quality that is very pleasing.  She is from Buenos Aires.  We get a different beat and rhythm in Folía which is song by Wagner Pá and his band Brazuca Matraca.  The ukulele comes through created a very different sound.  Federico Aubele is also from Argentina and plays guitar for "Esta Noche" while Gabriela Maiaru provides vocals, "Tonight I will sing for you again."  It again has a tango feel.  In "Dame tu querer" we get a Colunbian based song.  Sidestepper is a group put together by Richard Blair.  This song is actually vocalized by Cuban Ronald Infante.

I have very much enjoyed the lating beats and rhythms.  It seems to get in the blood.  

Music Review: Carlos Maceiras: Guitarra Latinoamericana

Carlos Maceiras: Guitarra Latinoamericana

This C.D. of guitar music is much more enjoyable than that the previous instrumental I listened too from Chet Atkins.  I have always enjoyed Latin guitar.  However there are a couple of pieces which didn’t work for me.  There are a couple of waltzes, but I always thought that would be dance music.  I have a hard time hearing the beat, and if I had the beat right the music is much to fast to dance to, without physically causing an injury. 

However a couple of the pieces were very nice.  “Terasca I and II” had a very nice feel, and the rhythm kept me entertained.  Also “Sons of Carrilhoes” had a nice feel.  There was one song called “Tango” which started very nicely, but then got bogged down with trying to be artistic, with stops in the music a couple of times.  This song didn’t work for me other than the beginning and the end.  “Guarania” was also a nice song and very relaxing.  This music would be great at playing as a background to relax, like in a store or someplace.  Plenty to like in this album.