In 2013,
La Santa Cecilia's
Treinta Dias won a Grammy for Best Latin Rock Album. While the recognition was welcome, it was ill-fitting:
La Santa Cecilia are a great pop band no matter what language they sing in. (Their ingenious cover of
the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever," from 2014's equally wonderful
Someday New, proved it.) During the past two years, these Los Angelinos have become road warriors, playing clubs, concert halls, and festival stages across the U.S., Latin America, Canada, and Europe. They've gotten married and had children. The maturity from these experiences is revealed panoramically on the produced by
Sebastian Krys-produced
Buenaventura. La Marisoul Hernández (vocals),
José "Pepe" Carlos (accordion and requinto), Miguel "Oso" Ramírez (percussion), and
Alex Bendana (bass) have become purveyors of "Pan-American Music," a sound that spreads across Latin genres, rock, pop, Caribbean styles, and R&B. The set's first single, "I Won't Cry for You," uses conjunto, swinging Dixieland jazz horns, blues, and a rock & roll backbeat -- thanks to in-the-pocket drumming from album guest
Pete Thomas. Opener "Sacudo la Pereza" is a modern cumbia that leans heavily on rocksteady reggae and vintage pop-soul with a killer horn chart. Iconic Spanish rocker Enrique Bunbury assists La Marisol in delivering a rocked-up, boozy, passionate reading of
Ramon Ayala's classic "Tragos de Amargo Licor."
Steve Berlin and
David Hidalgo of
Los Lobos assist on second single "Nunca Más," a timeless, funky cumbia that exhorts listeners to empower one another in standing against bigotry, violence, and hatred. While a church organ introduces "Here We Go Again," it's actually a gorgeous waltz that weds country music and norteño (in Texas this happens every single day). This is among La Marisol's finest performances on the album; the interplay between Carlos' accordion and guest Bob Bernstein's pedal steel is gorgeous. "Vámonos" is a rootsy rock & roll and cumbia framed by a honky tonk piano,
Thomas's drums, and vocal assistance from Argentine rocker Fita Paez. The ranchera waltz "Caminante Nocturno" is adorned by the entire Latino Arts String Program from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and reveals inseparable connections between classical and Latin folk music traditions. "Pa' Que Trabajar" is a soulful cumbia with killer synth effects and rumbling bass that brings hooky pop-funk into the equation. Closer "Sucede" is a seamless intersection of ska, Latin pop, and rocking polka and conjunto. The spontaneous element in
La Santa Cecilia's music remains ever present thanks to their seamless juxtaposition of genres, excellent lyrics, and energy.
Buenaventura is not just a step beyond their previous recordings, it's a leap. The maturity, confidence, and sophistication on display here are reached by few bands -- especially at this still-early juncture. Given this stellar example,
La Santa Cecilia's "Pan-American Music" will hopefully become its own genre. ~ Thom Jurek