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más música

Ok...so I promise that this will be the last music-related blog posting from su servidor. But in a failing economy and constant bombardment of bad news, music always seem to be a place where both hope and reality can co-exist.

I was raised on calle ocho, in a place we called el Duarte. And while Calle 13 has a similar name to my beloved home, it is their lyrical content and music that has me listening to them constantly and not the similarity of their name to my stomping grounds.

Yes there's some adult language, yes there are some oxymorons (mostly intended) and yes Residente and Visitante are outlaws from Puerto Rico, but "Los the Atras vienen Conmigo" is perhaps one of the best musical productions of the year in the landscape of musica Latina.

The lead single, "Nadie como tu" is quite the love song, unlike the group's previous singles. It's also laced with a long list of things that contrast, and yet seem alike. After which Residente makes the assertion, "No hay nadie como tu mi amor". 

But the crown jewel of their third album is "La Perla." A standout track that could have been included in any of the many Fania All-Stars compilations with it's familiar use of horns, background singers and the legendary Ruben Blades (now the minister of tourism in Panamá) who blends right in and even raps a few bars. The song is a homage to the simple nature of the life in the caribbean, among other things.

I personally can't get the chorus out of my head as it reminds me of living in the house of my abuelita that sits 3 blocks away from the atlantic ocean in Puerto Plata.

 "Allá abajo, en el hueco, en el boquete, nacen flores por ramillete. Casitas de colores con la ventana abierta, vecina de la playa, puerta con puerta. Si yo tengo de to', no me falta na', tengo la noche que me sirve de sabana." 

Other standout tracks include "Ven y criticame" "Gringo Latin Funk" and the Title track. The latter serves both as a statement by Residente and Visitante that their roots stay with them and their plans to not sell out to the pressures of pop life. Three albums in, I don't think either of them are showing signs of doing otherwise.  

So whether your family just got here 1 generation ago or your roots in the US go back more than a 13 generations, there is something in "Los de atras vienen conmigo" for you.

Posted by Maurel Merette at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jose Jose

Jose Jose is a legend.

His voice has literally transcended geography, making him one of the most famous and respected singers in the spanish language.

Unless you all  were living in a hobbit hole  for the past 15 years, I'm sure you've heard of the man dubbed "El Principe de la Cancion." I can point to many of his songs and tell you where in my timeline Jose Jose's voice touched my life. (I think he came over to our house when I was a teeny child, or so they told me. Apparently, my father was part of the band that played his music in one of his many performances in the Dominican Republic.)

So when I heard that Univision was taking the time to honor him in the recent Latin Grammy's, I was understandably excited.

How sad was I to hear one of Jose Jose's compatriotas butchering hi classic. Ana Barbara sounded terrible singing "Lo Pasado, Pasado". (Makes me want to tell my cousin to get her money back for her records) But I was also rejoiced to see new modern spins put on some other classics. My least-liked Bachata group, Aventura, did a respectable rendition of "Lagrimas." Cruz Martinez ripped it of course. But my biggest surprise was the rendition of "Lo Dudo/Anda y ve" by Victor Manuel.

I'm not in any way a fan of Victor Manuel, but he did his diddy when it came to that song. And I must say, from all of the singers that paid homage to "El principe", he got the coolest reaction out of him and his family. Even if you don't like salsa or may not understand all the words, you know there's emotion and sincerity in the music.

Check it out.

Posted by Maurel Merette at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

voice

On September 1 of this year we lost one of the greats.

Don LaFontaine was a voice that was heard on anything. If you watched a movie trailer in the past 15 years, you heard his voice more than once or a thousand times.

But I especially enjoyed the way in which he never made much of his fame. The man was actually a pretty simple guy who only in his later years was seen in person or on camera. (That Geico commercial was possibly the funniest of its kind)

So here is to "the movie trailer voice guy" may you continue to sound awesome wherever you are. We'll miss ya.

*here's a video I found on youtube of LaFontaine and some other voiceover guys. Pay attention to the voices and see if you've heard them before

Posted by Maurel Merette at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

24

Disclaimer: I am a big fan of  President David Palmer

He was decisive, tough in the face of danger and looked a lot like my papá.

And while the impact of fiction on TV can be dismissed as simple entertainment, conventional wisdom holds that the more you get exposed to something on the tube, the more you watch and think about it and might buy it later....(See the ad business) Or vote for whoever or it. You also might not do anything, but at least you were exposed to the idea or product and it stuck in the most sophisticated computer that you own, your brain. Congratulations!

It shouldn't come to us as a surprise that our president elect is black (I prefer black because in Spanish, the word carries a strong sense of pride mi gente. Moving on)

For three seasons of one of our networks' highest rated shows, a black president stood in the face of terrorism, attempted coups, assassination attempts and looked quite believable at it. Dennis Haysbert's stout, commanding figure helped a lot. (On a side note, his brother also was a president in the show and he kicked major heiny..literally)

I know that the popular rhetoric around the internets holds that our nation decided it was time for change and unity. (Which I think is quite cool...go US!!!)  But I can't help but think that our exposure to a positive black role model in the nation's highest office might have helped a teensy weeny bit. (Apparently, Dennis Haysbert thought so too.)

Of course I wouldn't give TV that much of an edge on public opinion. After all, this is also the realm where scripted "reality" tv has made stars of people like Omarosa and Kim Kardashian. But one can say that getting us used to, at least in fiction, to a good idea can help in the long-term.

Now, when do we Latinos get our President Matthew Santos? 

Posted by Maurel Merette at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)