Henry "Pucho" Brown and his reconstituted nine-piece (plus three guests)
Latin Soul Brothers are clearly in no mood to settle down into one bag on this wildly and refreshingly eclectic import CD, where traditional Latin rhythms and various R&B idioms meet and clash. The tone of this free-thinking band is set right at the beginning when rapper McBabee Power accurately informs us that the band is "about to get down with the old/new sound" over the fused Latin/hip-hop groove of "The Latin Soul Brothers." "Kool And the Gang I" is devoted to '70s funk with
James Brown-style rhythm guitar chonking and an insistent drive that goes on for nearly ten minutes (a reprise at the album's close picks it right up again from where it left off). Elsewhere, the band trades in mambos, slow cha-chas, guajiras and soul grooves in various states of heat, with an occasional, particularly fluid turn on the vibes by guest
Joe Locke. ~ Richard S. Ginell