Hot on the heels of their Grammy-winning breakthrough album
Treinta Días, Los Angeles' quartet
La Santa Cecilia follow up with
Someday New. There are four new songs, three indispensable covers, the original version of the "ICE El Hielo," and the radio version of "Monedita." Producer
Sebastian Krys was re-enlisted to helm this set. The first single is "Cumbia Morada," fueled by
Pepe Carlos' swirling accordion,
Alex Bendaña's rocksteady, bubbling bassline, and Miguel "Oso" Ramirez's rolling percussion grooves.
Attractions' drummer
Pete Thomas' kit adds to the bottom end, while guest
Andy Abad's stinging surf guitar weds cumbia to rock & roll. La Marisoul's lyric delivery is grainy, aggressive, and passionate like a flamenco singer's. "Como Dios Manda" is a gorgeous ranchera; soulful and tender, it reveals
La Santa Cecilia's roots and comfort with the tradition. "Ven a Mis Brazos" is a bouncing polka with burning percussion and fine accordion work. The cover of
Jose Jose's classic "Cuidado" is thoroughly reimagined. Though its cinematic scope remains, horns have been replaced by B-3, layers of accordion, snare, cymbals, and electric guitars. La Marisoul delivers a transcendent vocal that gives props to the original, but interprets it for a new age. The same goes for "La Morena," a classic Dominican dance tune.
La Santa Cecilia reclaim its roots -- the tune is raw, primal, infectious -- a far cry from the slick merengue versions of the 1980s and '90s. The bilingual title track is a bright, catchy pop number whose refrain touches on retro-soul with trombone, B-3, piano, and snare. On their reading of the
Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever," a lilting requiento and percussion intro support La Marisoul's smoky croon, but a funky Caribbean groove replaces it and it transforms into a psychedelic cumbia. The album closer is the original version of "ICE El Hielo" a song about deportation. It connects to the
Beatles' tune, in that
John Lennon fought deportation from the U.S. himself. He would have understood "ICE El Hielo" better than most Anglos. Though the four new songs here are wonderful, it's the covers that make
Someday New an accurate portrait of
La Santa Cecilia. Not only does it reflect their musical depth, but it presents the diversity in their live show. Bravo! ~ Thom Jurek