Music Review: Putumayo Presents Café Latino

 Putumayo Presents Latin Cafe, Putumayo World Music, 2013.

This is a compilation of Latino artists.  This C.D. has artists from France with exposure to Spanish musicians, Columbia, Cuba, Canada with a Mexican father, Cuban descent, Venezuela, Spain and Ecuador.

Mónica Giraldo from Columbia sings of waiting for someone to walk by.  Her song, "Por verte llegar" has a Latin beat with bluesy guitar and is very uptempo.  Amanda Martinez from Canada sings a song with a tango feel, and violin.  She sings "Alcoba Azul" with lots of passion.  "El Avion" sung by Jose Conde from the U.S. with Cuban parents, has a very catchy rhythm and accompaniment.  Sacha Nairobi plays the cuatro, a smaller guitar common in Latin American.  She sings of being frozen in time with her love.  Miquel Gil sings "L'amor es Déu en barco," Love is God in a boat.  I am not sure what that means but this song has an interesting sound, sort of like a southwest cowboy song.  He sings in Catalan.  Alex Cuba Band is from Cuba but now lives in Canada,  His song Café Havana has a definite Caribbean feel.  Soñando con Quito by Alex Alvear from Ecuador and Marta Gomez form Colombia.  She sings and he plays guitar.  Georgina Hassan is from Argentina but her song does not feel Argentine.  "A Primera Vista" (at first sight) is a Brazilian song which she sings in both Spanish and Portuguese.  This song has a very nice Jazzy sound.

Putumayo seems to produce very nice anthonogies.  I do not like this as well as Latin Lounge but it is still very nice.

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.