In Columbia, vallenato has given cumbia -- the country's most famous rhythm -- a run for its money. Even so, cumbia has maintained a large audience -- not only in Colombia, but also, in Mexico and the southwestern United States (where Mexican musicians have had their own interpretation of the style). And cumbia continues to have its traditionalists as well as those who offer a more pop-minded vision of the style, such as Mexico's
Aroma. On their fourth album,
Olfato Femenino,
Aroma approaches cumbia the same way they have been approaching it since their self-titled debut album came out in 2002: as sleek Latin pop ear candy. While ear candy doesn't please cumbia's hardcore traditionalists -- people who long for the days when giants like Leonor Gonzales and Alberto Pacheco reigned supreme in Columbia -- cumbia-pop does have its place as long as it is tasteful and well done. And
Olfato Femenino, like other discs in
Aroma's catalog, is tasteful ear candy. Tunes like "Maldito" and "Pobre Diablo" are girlish and pop-drenched, but they aren't wimpy -- this 2004 release points to the fact that
Aroma, for all their pop gloss, aren't without substance. One track that speaks especially well of the female quartet is "Llorando Se Fue, " which is actually a Spanish-language version of the Brazilian gem "Lambada." Written by Chico DeOliveira, "Lambada" was a major hit in Brazil in 1990 and was originally heard in Portuguese (one of Spanish's sister languages). Now, as "Llorando Se Fue," the haunting song has Spanish lyrics by Ulises and Gonzalo Hermosa and easily lends itself to a cumbia makeover -- same melody, different lyrics, different language. For those don't mind their cumbia being laced with a big dose of Latin pop,
Olfato Femenino is a welcome addition to
Aroma's catalog. ~ Alex Henderson