I can't help but feel that this challenge is more a journey than anything else. While I have every intention of giving due diligence to the matter, I also believe it is also my job to embrace the possibilities and open myself to new concepts. Just like any good adventure, closing yourself off from where the road might lead you defeats a great deal of the purpose of the venture altogether. The trick in all of this is to both enjoy yet keep an objective eye. As I mentioned before, I'm not a music person. My understanding of music is on par with a third grader's comprehension of algebra.
Then I listened to Bomba Estéreo's "Amanecer".
What I do know is that this group comes from Colombia and apparently is on the cusp of international success. After listening to this album, I can clearly see why. While I'm not a fan of synth beats and EDM or its wannabes, Bomba Estereo clearly has a fun and engaging rhythm that makes their tunes cause parts of your body to join along. It doesn't hurt that this group has embraced Latin American rhythms and merges them with your standard dance beat. The results are a lot of fun to listen to, especially somewhere that you can lose yourself to the beat.
I won't lie. I had fun with this album. It put a little zip in my step and while I can't understand what the vocalists are singing (in that talky way only EDM can get away with), what I can appreciate is that there is passion in the singing without it seeming overdramatic.
Yet their singing gets a bit monotonous for a good many songs. There's more emphasis on the beat than the presentation, which is fine for dance music. But the problem here is that there's way too much "singing" going on to be an afterthought. Add that to the fact that this album does eventually commit to the cardinal sin of all music intended for the dancefloor: it recycles beats over and over again. Synth beats added to this mix and it's the worst margarita mixer in history. When the album finally changes things up significantly in the final track "Raiz", you realize they're packing it up and going home.
Yet I can't help but to believe that these criticisms are a little nitpicky. The fact is that I had a lot fun listening to it and might find more music by this group. And I can't help but to believe this a good omen for the music to come. A fun and enjoyable album that is never boring and delivers the goods it promised. Or at least I thought it promised if I could understand a word they were saying.
Describe "Amanecer" in a word: DIVERTIDO!!!
One Down, Forty-Nine to go...
Next up: Bob Dylan, "Shadows in the Night"
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