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This is Ricardo’s 4th release. There is a lot of hype disseminated
about this or that latin star that makes inroads in the commercial
charts, fusing reggae or commercial pop/rock or whatever to produce
something that is hailed as the next short-lived, profitable craze.
Then there is Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca. On the basis of this
release and his previous ones I would rank the singer/composer
as one of a select few non-Cubans who understands how the son
cubano really works on an emotional and rhythmic level.
Indeed he is not a latino, but Congolese who
performed rumba lingala and Cuban based music as a teenager in
the Congo before emigrating to the USA where he learnt Spanish
through immersion in the latin community. His musical formation
was completed singing classic Afro-American soul, salsa and even
a stint as a modestly successful mariachi singer in Mexico. The
first 1996 release Tata Masamba set the template for Ricardo’s
music…a hypnotic, swinging fusion of salsa, Cuban son, merengue
and Congolese rumba which featured the arranging wizardry of Cuban
pianist Nino Jesus Alejandro Perez…and it is a template
that is continually modulated in novel yet emotionally direct
ways.
In fact el Nino is the only original musician
present on Ay Valeria and his hand is all over the CD….the
tres, the piano, the scintillatingly timed flute breaks or that
combination of punch and yet subtlety in the brass writing. This
is a band that knows how to the keep the dance juices flowing,
modulating the pieces with guitar laced Congolese grooves in tandem
with merengue or constructing the swing on songs like the brilliant
salsa Dos Mulatas which builds to a rhythmic catharsis that is
simple, original and hypnotic, while shifting the gears so smoothly
that you could miss its richness…if you weren’t listening
and dancing, that is. Ricardo’s singing is the epitome of
self-effacing sonerismo yet he builds a fire at every turn…one
of the best tropical singers around. The title song Ay Valera
is presented in two entirely different forms, the first, a burning
salsa-son, the second a smoulderingly beautiful Afro-Portuguese
piece that accelerates into a son.
You can treat each as distinct songs. Ricardo
sings in several languages, Lingala, Spanish, Portuguese, English
and probably others. For instance Tio Antonio is the classic Sam
Mangwana merengue number, sung in Portuguese. Sani is a lovely
African language number that dissolves the distance between the
Congo, Cuba and Mexico with its lingering mariachi trumpet lines
and subtle clave. In contrast Samba Luku Samba which is presumably
sung in the same language sets the dancefloor alight with a sea
of rhythms that are not only dense and wildly compulsive but also
soft of touch.
The central African rumba of Fiko Fiko Ko is
a piece of surreal hokum mostly in English set on the plains of
some imaginary western. Amor Matata and Kidia M’fuka are
exemplary salsa pieces mostly in Lingala with sections in Spanish,
while Yembe is another masterly salsa sung in Spanish. You get
the picture. The CD closes with a reprise of the Amame Mama, this
time as a remix obviously designed for the international dance-floor.
It is a very good thumpy merengue, but lacks the detailed excitement
of the flag-waver version that sets the party in motion on track
1. With Ay Valeria Ricardo Lemvo reconfirms in no uncertain terms
what his fans world-wide already know. Unreservedly recommended.
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