The very fact that
Inti-Illimani were able to record
Andadas in Santiago, Chile, is encouraging. When the Augusto Pinochet regime was executing numerous people in the 1970s, the exiled members of
Inti-Illimani would have been risking their lives by even setting foot anywhere in Chile.
Andadas is indeed the work of a very distinctive band. When soulful offerings like "Cueca de la Ausencia," "Angelo," and "Tata San Juan" are playing, one is reminded just how recognizable
Inti-Illimani's music is. Both the music of South American Indians (Chilean as well as Peruvian and Bolivian) and the Spanish have had a major impact on the outfit's enriching sound. South American and Afro-Cuban elements are a potent mixture on "Mulata," while the ballad "Ella" (a real tear-jerker) looks to Mexican mariachi music for inspiration. Included in the CD booklet are English-language translations of
Inti's lyrics. ~ Alex Henderson