Pop: Nelly Furtado, Calle 13

We've all heard Promiscuous and Maneater in the clubs, we've all seen the new foxy image Nelly Furtado has adapted. And given her Portuguese roots (and past collaborations with latin artists), I had expected her to do a reggaeton song sooner or later. No Hay Igual was actually the first single of her early 2006 album Loose, but no one really noticed, since the song was quite monotonous and not catchy at all. Now she's issued a remix featuring Residente Calle 13: smart move, because he's one of the better lyricists in the latin rap scene. Combine that with a funky drumbeat, provided by star producer Timbaland, and you almost forget how irritating Nelly sounds on the song. Almost.

I don't think this will become a big club banger too, but hopefully the song will introduce Calle 13 to a new audience!

Nelly Furtado ft. Calle 13 - No Hay Igual mp3 video buy@iTunes

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New Additions

Hey there faithful reader,

I'd like to explain some recent additions to the site.

First, the grey last.fm chart (in the sidebar on your right) shows you the tracks I've been playing on my computer here in Belgium. A click takes you to my listening profile. And if you add your own profile, I can see what my visitors are listening to. La Onda Tropical goes Web 2.0 ;)

Recently two new sites decided to syndicate articles from La Onda Tropical to their own pages: Reggaeton World is the multi-language reference for reggaeton-related information in Europe, and the infamous Blogcritics site is a gigantic database of music, movies, books, entertainment & much more.
And if you want an easily digestable (and accurate) overview of news on Latin America, The Latin Americanist is the blog you need. Be sure to check out these great sites!

At the bottom of each post, you had a link to the comments, and a button to e-mail the post to a friend. Now I've added a section for links to the article from other sites - so you can read what other bloggers think about La Onda Tropical. And if you have a del.icio.us account (another very handy Web 2.0 site), you can add the post to your bookmarks, and tag it.

And lastly: I'm going on holiday next week, so don't expect much posting!

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Reggaeton: Tego Calderon - The Underdog

Tego Calderón is known and loved for his politically correct, 'alternative' reggaeton, often injected with traditional latin music elements. Though he kinda missed the big reggaeton hype, he is still regarded as one of the three strongholds of the genre (along with Daddy Yankee and Don Omar). The Underdog/El Subestimado is his major label debut, so you might expect a more mainstream gangsta sound instead of his typical fusion style. Luckily, that's not the case - Tego even dropped all of his bling bling after visiting a diamond mine in Sierra Leone. No diamonds, a seventies afro, sunglasses two sizes too big.. you wouldn't say this guy just made the only good reggaeton album ever recorded.

The Underdog is the new sound of the latin urban genre, a sound that blends Afro-Carribean influences with some of the hottest beats around. It's hip hop and reggaeton with soul and fuego. Production is near-perfect, everything sounds crystal-clear and basses dig deep. Tego proves himself as the master lyricist, pouring explosive raps on politics, racial issues and personal emotions.

Some examples of the innovating fusion that mark the album. Mardi Gras is what reggaeton would sound like in New Orleans, with a blues guitar backing Tego's raging raps. Llora, Llora is a salsatón duet with Venezolan master Oscar D'León, and (unlike previous salsa-reggaeton collaborations) it's a perfect symbiosis of latin rhythms. Llevatelo Todo is a sunny hip hop song influenced by traditional Puertorican bomba. Don Omar joins in on Chillin', where reggae organs and steel drums take you to a Kingston slum. And Los Maté features a sample of an old mariachi song, pitched up to a slightly irritating speed (too bad this song was chosen to be the first single - watch the video here).

Tego sees himself more as a hiphop artist, but I must disagree. The hiphop cuts on the album lack variety. His smooth flows are best accompanied by a heavy reggaeton beat. Cuando Baila Reggaeton (featuring Yandel) is a certain floorfiller, albeit lacking the specific Tego touch. When the beat kicks in on Extremidades it will make all your extremities randomly shake. Fuego!

The album boasts a few big suprises, mostly related to Tego's emotional side. Chango Blanco is a risky cover: a pure salsa song, talking about racial difficulties and black pride. A succesful experiment if you ask me. Bureo, Bureo is delightfully funky, a bit too short though. O Dios (Odios?) and A Mi Papa are both emotional songs, with Tego respectively rapping about the frustrations of shared custody, and his recently deceased father.

So unlike others, who call themselves King of Kings and release mediocre albums, Tego achieved -in all his modesty- the true mastership over latin urban music with this essential record. Hopefully The Underdog will do for Tego Calderón what A Lo Cubano did for Orishas - give him worldwide exposure and critical acclaim.

Our selection:
Tego Calderón ft. Oscar D'León - Llora, Llora mp3 buy@iTunes
Tego Calderón ft. Don Omar - Chillin' mp3 video lyrics buy@iTunes
Tego Calderón - Llévatelo Todo mp3 buy@iTunes

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Rock: Mana - Amar es Combatir

Maná is often described as Mexico's U2, for the instantly recognizable sound they've crafted througout a career spanning two decades. It's been four years already since they released Revolución de Amor, a widely acclaimed collection of powerful rock ballads, which was not necesarilly an innovative album but had solid songs and captivating lyrics.

So after such a long wait, it's kind of disappointing that Amar es Combatir is more of the same. The songs are certainly well-written, lead singer Fher knows how to use his raspy voice, song structure is solid (as you could hear on "Labios Compartidos", the first single). But on this album, Maná lack something very important: fire, passion, enthousiasm. Musically, it all sounds like a routine.

What I find even more disturbing, is that the lyrics are far from original as well. If I hear the words amor, cielo or corazón one more time I think I'm gonna lose it. Even the much-hyped collaboration with Juan Luís Guerra (Bendita Tu Luz) is a whiny ballad, and has too much religious connotations. On previous albums, Fher wrote true gems like Vivir Sin Aire and El Muelle de San Blas, or powerful political songs like Pobre Juan. I'm not sure if four years from now, we will remeber songs off Amar es Combatir.

There is one track that does stand out: "El Rey Tiburón", a creative fusion of rock and chachacha, playful and exotic. I've always liked Maná's latin-flavored tracks the most (Sabanas Frías, Corazón Espinado featuring Carlos Santana) because their slick mainstream sound combines wonderfully with the tropical rhythms of salsa, mambo and chachacha. The silly chorus ("yo soy el rey tiburón, el que te come a besos") suits the fusion sound perfectly. More songs like this on the next album?

Maná - El Rey Tiburón mp3 lyrics buy@iTunes
Maná - Labios Compartidos mp3 video lyrics buy@iTunes

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Andrés Calamaro - Tinta Roja

Posting a raving review after listening to an album once, is a bad idea. But not so if that album is by the hand of Andrés Calamaro. This Argentinian singer-songwriter / rock legend / trovador has issued 29 albums over the last two decades, climaxing in El Salmon, his 2001 magnum opus counting 103 equally brilliant songs. All of his albums are milestones in Argentinian pop music, and his latest Tinta Roja will be no exception.

A first listen reveals a very pure album, Calamaro is seldom accompanied by more than two instruments. Most songs feature a virtuoso tango rhythm on acoustic guitar, evoking the atmosphere of a dimly lit Buenos Aires bar around midnight. Sur (video) is a good example. On Mano a Mano (video) we hear the signature hand-clapping of Andalucian flamenco. The last two songs, Como Dos Extraños and Nostalgias (video), have Calamaro on piano, transporting you to a fifties blues joint (imagine the singer looking like the picture above, to complete the frame).

Two small remarks: first, this is a tribute album, so Calamaro doesn't deserve any credits for the beautiful lyrics. Most songs were written in the twenties and thirties, but their poetical words remain timeless. The language of love and passion is universal, and what are tango and flamenco other than pure passion? Title song "Tinta Roja" is a 1941 tango written by poet Cátulo Castillo:

Y aquel buzón carmín,
y aquel fondín
donde lloraba el tano
un rubio amor lejano
que mojaba con bon vin.

Second remark: if this is the first time you listen to a Calamaro album, you'll have to get used to his rough voice. Tinta Roja might not be the best introduction to his extended oevre, but even to new listeners I would say: buy this! Twenty-nine other albums are waiting to be discovered :)

Andrés Calamaro - Tinta Roja mp3 lyrics buy@iTunes

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Reggaeton: Hector El Father, Tego Calderon, Don Omar

Here's an update on the reggaeton scene.

Los Rompediscotekas

Biggest news in the genre was the release of the eagerly anticipated Los Rompediscotekas, marketed as the first important collaboration between Puerto Rican reggaeton MC's and popular East Coast rappers. A deal between producers Hector El Father and Jay-Z, and even a guest performance by the Def Jam CEO on the first single (Here We Go Yo), feeded the buzz around the album. But one look at the tracklist is enough to realize Los Rompediscotekas is not the 'imporant collaboration' it pretends to be: only two other tracks feature US rappers (Fat Joe and Memphis Bleek), and both are very weak.
But, all the hype put aside, Los Rompediscotekas is a deliciously over-the-top reggaeton album, with Hector El Father as the undeniable king of the tongue-in-cheek lyrics, X-rated videos (remeber Dale Castigo?) and dirty beats that made reggaeton big. Buying the album won't be necessary, if you live anywhere in the Americas you'll hear these tracks continuously for the next five years, and you'll be singing along with this kind of lyrics, full of double-entendres and sexual connotations:

Vamos, chiquilla, no se suelten de las manecillas
Cya, y con tu amiga hagamos una tortilla [...]
Mami, vas a doblar las rodillas
Cya, voy a secarte la gargantilla

There's one decent song on the album, by Wisin y Yandel (known from their song with R Kelly, Burn It Up). "El Telefono" isn't that original (telephone bleeps must be the most used sample in history, and the chorus is supposedly plagiarism (link in Spanish)) but it's quite contagious, and the song is hot enough to dance to. Enjoy!

Other News
Zion y Lennox have decided to stop working together. They were more or less my favorite reggaeton duo.. so as a tribute, here's once more their best song, "Don't Stop".

The new Tego Calderón album is due the end of this month, and the Puerto Rican underdog is already heating up the expectations by doing a few great collaborations. Ñejo's "No Quiere Novio" is lifted to a higher level by his natural flow. No radio material, but a nice rap song with (again) a contagious chorus.

And last but not least: a new Don Omar song. Well, not really new, as I mentioned it as one of the few good songs off his King of Kings album in my review. It's called "Salió El Sol", has a groovy ragga-like riddim, and it'll instantly bring summer to your ears!

Wisin y Yandel ft. Hector 'El Father' - El Telefono mp3 lyrics buy@iTunes
Ñejo ft. Tego Calderón - No Quiere Novio mp3
Don Omar - Salió El Sol mp3 lyrics buy@iTunes

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Pop/Rock: Mana, Los Enanitos Verdes

You can't get around it: Mexican rock superstars Maná have a new single, "Labios Compartidos". It's the usual stuff, a rough poprock ballad with sugar-sweet lyrics. If you've heard Mariposa Traicionera or Angel de Amor (off their fantastic 2002 album Revolución de Amor), you might be a little disappointed by this long-awaited single. If this is the first time you hear Maná, enjoy the unique hoisted voice of lead singer Fher, and be sure to download the complete back-catalogue of these latin rock legends. Hopefully the new album will live up to the (impossibly high) expectations: Amar es Combatir will be available August 22nd.


Los Enanitos Verdes celebrate their 25th anniversary with a new CD, Pescado Original. Gotta love the album cover (image above).
Though one of their most famous (and beautiful) songs is called Lamento Boliviano, they're a 100% Argentinian band (lo siento margolita ;)). New single "Mariposas" won't give 'em as much success as they had in the 90's, but it's a nice pop song that'll grow on you. Maybe because mariposa is by far the most beautiful word in Spanish!

(By the way, both videos are worth watching, very professional! Links below. And if you want the lyrics translated, leave a message in the comments.)

Maná - Labios Compartidos mp3 video lyrics buy@iTunes
Los Enanitos Verdes - Mariposas mp3 video lyrics buy@iTunes

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