AMERICANOS

There seems to be a tendency in music to label anything that has a flute in it as folk music, and anything that has both flute and keyboards as progressive folk. And of course anything with flute and heavy guitar automatically merits a “Jethro Tull-like” branding.

That said, in the case of Contraluz’ debut album there are places where it sounds like folk music; place where it sounds progressive; and places where it sounds like a Latin band featuring Ian Anderson and Martin Barre. Stereotypes persist because some parts of them are true, I suppose.

The first time I heard this I didn’t think it was much of a progressive album, nor a folk one. And at times the music does range well into standard popular Latin music territory, particularly on tracks like “Sin Trabajo” with its lounge-act arrangement and Latin Elvis vocals. Elsewhere though, such as right after that track when “No sea que caigas Mendigando” kicks off with as Tull-like an intro as I’ve heard since ‘Heavy Horses’, you find yourself thinking there are at least some progressive qualities to this music.

Vocalist Alvaro Canada reminds me just a little of the Chilean band Congreso’s Francisco Sazo in his intonation, although Canada does seem to be a little more interested in the rock star posturing than anyone on Congreso ever was. He tends to over-articulate some phrases and seems to take every opportunity to show his vocal range and power, even at times when the music doesn’t seem to call for that.

Carlos Barrio is an excellent guitarist, but in a strictly rock sense. There is almost no indication he is a Latin musician when listening to this album; no tango, no zambas, and this is not Andean music at all. The influences seem to be largely the aforementioned Jethro Tull and other European and North American rock bands. At times the band’s sound takes on characteristics of the Grand Funk / Deep Purple Mk II / BTO heavy behemoth bands (“La Sarna del Viento”, “Seamos”), while elsewhere the sound is very bucolic and folk-like, such as with the ballad-like “El Charco” and the short instrumental “Abrir el Día”.

The CD reissue has a couple of bonus tracks that probably shouldn’t have been included. Both of them lean much closer to radio pop than the songs from the original vinyl release, and don’t add much to the character of the album.

I wouldn’t put this up in the same category as some of the really impressive Argentinean music I’ve heard like MIA or Crucis, but I could see them as at least on-par with Espiritu or Amagrama. This is a solid three star effort in my opinion, and don’t look for this to be a strongly Latin-sounding record, but it will probably be something that appeals to fans of Chac Mool, Crucis, Banda do Casaco, Los Jaivas and Amagrama.

peace