The Deal: Nicely produced, edited, cleansed n’classy. Easy listening for the nuevo Latin Alternative set, with a pretense of hip. It’s a mishmash mélange; an attempt at combining world music with more contempo trends and beats – reggaeton, cumbia, meringue – in the wrong direction.
The Good: The first three cuts on Pacha Massive‘s latest are quite good. Cut numero uno, “If You Want It,” starts with a glossy, glitzy, Motown-ish, Supremes-like intro (“Can’t Hurry Love”) and blossoms into something better. Further in, cut no. 8, “For a While,” has a novel sound, bordering on originality. And PachaM indeed, has a way with femme vocalist Monica Rodriguez, who offers a great voice, balance and well, sex. Along those lines, think of Mazzy Star or Morcheeba, with a light, dreamy, soft groove, only not as good.
The Bad: An album only a Disco Stu could love, or maybe Disco Jose. Though a bilingual album, mono-language listeners won’t lose much if they can’t follow the words, as they’re continuous, vapid and clichéd. Example: “Girl… You look so beautiful”… And please, how many more synth washes can a listener take?
The Verdict: It’s OK, if you like smooth jazz and want to appear über hip, bilingual and suave. Could be a decent soundtrack for a soft-core porn pic, especially cut no. 10, “To the Top.” Elsewhere, some tunes are good, some not. It’s awfully commercial and if it’s not your cup of tea manzanillo, it’s at least OK for learning Spanglish. Comprendes, friendo?
This article appears in Sep 29 – Oct 6, 2009.
You’re right, compadre Monica’s vocals are what is good. She’s got to be the best singer on this album. But yeah the production and most of the lyrics are pure cheese.
actually I found the album to be different than the junk we hear nowadays, and I lay it constantly because it puts a smile in my face, rhythm in my soul, and a pep in my step. Too bad you can’t appreciate it.
Oh…and you should listen to their new album…It’s awesome!!!!