With
only six albums
to its credit
and less than
nine years of
existence, Colombia
's Sonora Carruseles
has
already perfected
a trademark
sound that is
cherished by
salsa lovers
all over the
world. There's
some seriously
powerful stuff
to be found
in this album:
spidery piano
lines, tight
poly rhythms,
explosive brass
riffs, staccato
cowbell patterns
and impossibly
nasal choruses
that are just
hard to resist.
Carruseles pays
a moving tribute
to the spirit
of old, hardcore
salsa, while
at the same
renewing this
all but-forgotten
style with the
benefits of
digital technology.
It's
a fitting continuation
to the legacy
of Discos Fuentes,
the label responsible
for the development
of Colombian
tropical music
through seminal
acts such as
Fruko Y Sus
Tesos, Latin
Brothers, Los
Corraleros de
Majagual and
Sonora Dinamita.
It was the company's
veteran musical
director, the
legendary Mario
'Pachanga' Rincon,
who dreamed
up the concept
of Carruseles,
a band whose
mission would
be to re-record
classic sides
from the salsa
heyday of the
'70s, thus preserving
them for a new
generation of
devoted fans.
Mr.
Pachanga's dream
became a reality,
and Carruseles
turned out to
be the most
exciting band
to come out
of Colombia
in decades.
Led by the rhythmically
gifted talent
of Manolo Puerto,
and boasting
an illustrious
gallery of guest
singers that
includes Gabino
Pampini, Harold
Pelaez, Marihno
Paz y Daniel
Marmolejo, Carruseles
is a terrifying
machinery of
non-stop swing.
Not content
with exploring
the golden age
of salsa, it
has also revamped
the sweetly
nostalgic dance
craze known
as the boogaloo,
and even found
time to delve
into bouncy
cumbia territory
through a series
of delectable
medleys.
Now,
Carruseles has
assembled all
of its greatest
hits in one
single album.
A luxurious
affair, really.
The ideal party
disc. Listening
to the rollicking
"Arranca
en Fa"
and the infectious
"Micaela,"
you find yourself
wishing for
more Carruseles
albums, more
resurrected
nuggets from
the past, more
bewitching tumbaos
and lightning
speed solos.
The party has
finally begun.
It's too late
to stop now
Sonora
Carruseles 
