Another incredible release by Quantic's "Flowering Inferno" project, whose impeccable musicianship perfectly mixes cumbia, the sounds of the Colombian Pacific and Caribbean coasts -- as well as other Caribbean idioms -- with roots rock reggae, rock steady and dub into an extremely addictive album. "No Soy del Valle", my "favorite" track (out of the 2 available to highlight), features a guest vocal by Nidia Góngora, who also wrote the lyrics. The Execrable Bede
If you love cumbia, if you love surf, if you love psychedelia, then there's a better than 90% chance you will love chicha, also known as "Peruvian cumbia". This very modestly priced album by an incredible Argentine ensemble is an excellent--and infectious--introduction to those new to either cumbia and/or chicha, and an essential purchase for fans of any of the genre i name-dropped in this review. The Execrable Bede