I don’t often listen to it, but any time I get a chance to
\nlisten to some good Latin music, I immediately get hooked by the
\nrhythm of the vocals (even if I don’t know Spanish – proof you
\nshouldn’t listen to your high school guidance counselor) and the
\nnatural hooks of the beat. Whenever I need a quick pick-me-up, I
\nhead right into the Pierce Archives and grab a Gypsy Kings disc.
\nFifteen minutes later, my blahs are cured.<\/p>\n
Add another group to that quick-cure list: Richmond, Virginia’s
\nBio Ritmo, a wonderful little aggregate of musicians who crank out
\na wicked style of salsa and rumba music that will have you tapping
\nyour foot within seconds. Their latest release,
\nRumba Baby Rumba!<\/i>, was my first taste of this band, and it
\nsure won’t be the last.<\/p>\n
Led by Rene Herrera, a native of Cuba, Bio Ritmo not only
\nstrives to bring the joy of this style of music to the masses, but
\nalso to make it more accessible with occasional vocals in English.
\nTheir sense of humor is evident on the English tracks, such as on
\n“Ugly” and “You Killed My Love”. The single, “Call Me Up
\n(644-7215)”, isn’t as strong as some other tracks, but the beat
\nquickly locks you in and doesn’t let go. (For anyone contemplating
\ncalling the number: If you call it – using the Richmond area code,
\nI assume – you will reach a number where you can book the
\nband.)<\/p>\n
But where
\nRumba Baby Rumba!<\/i> succeeds is in its attack and presentation
\nof salsa music in its own natural state. From the opening notes of
\n“Yo Soy La Rumba,” it’s evident that there is sheer magic in this
\nmusic. (What might be surprising to some people is the almost
\ncomplete absence of guitars; I only heard a little Spanish guitar
\non one track.) Simply put, this is party music to the Nth degree,
\nthe album you put on when it’s time to really let the fun
\nloose.<\/p>\n
How can you not be tantalized by the driving beats of “Bin Bin,”
\nthe unique take on “Tequila” or the rhythmic poundings of “Una
\nPalabra” and “Sientate Ahi”? Simple: resistance is futile. You
\ncan’t help but get caught up in the flavor of this album, and
\nyou’ll find yourself disappointed when the last notes of “Night
\nMusic” ring out. (The latter track is intriguing: a salsa spin on a
\nMozart work. Hmm…)<\/p>\n
But in Bio Ritmo’s strength lies its weakness: the fact that
\nmany people won’t want to give
\nRumba Baby Rumba!<\/i> a fair shake, ’cause it’s not something
\nyou’d hear on Casey Kasem’s countdowns. One word: cowards.
\nRumba Baby Rumba!<\/i> is not just an album of world music, it is
\na celebration of the universal language of music, and is an album
\nthat should be experienced and savored (if not danced to). Think of
\nthis album as a different type of dance music; while it might not
\nfit into the next rave party, it helps to show the roots of
\ndanceable music.<\/p>\n
\nRumba Baby Rumba!<\/i> is an album that should be discovered by a
\ngroup that should be revered in the circles of Latin and world
\nmusic. If there were any justice in the world, Bio Ritmo would be
\nrewarded with an album that was in the top half of the charts. If
\nenough people give
\nRumba Baby Rumba!<\/i> a fair shake, justice might be served.
\nUndoubtedly one of the best albums I’ve listened to all year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[7472],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-39151","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-bio-ritmo","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39151"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=39151"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=39151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}