- Release date:
- June 17, 2008
- Artist/Band name:
- Grupo Fantasma
- Record label:
- Hire Wire
- Official Web Site:
- http://www.grupofantasma.com/
Why you should care: As the new millennium dawns, pop music has gone global, and vice versa. Bands like Ozomatli and Grupo Fantasma have enraptured a whole new audience, and it shows in the delirious crowd reaction to their diverse sound, which hopscotches across salsa, jazz, psychedelia, funk, reggae and more. They are also one of the most potent live acts on Earth, and are not to be missed if the opportunity arises. Which, given the recent attention they've been getting, is arising more than ever.
Verdict: Co-founder and guitarist Adrian Quesada claims "Sonidos Gold" is the band's definitive album, and it's easy to see why. The wah-pedal trouble funk of "Rumba y Guaguanco" is a sonic heart attack that doesn't let up for over four minutes, and features Larry Harlow, the salsa lifer whose activism helped establish the Latin Grammy Awards. The laid-back atmospherics of "Arroz con Frijoles" is an extended jam rife with electric pianos and raw, percussive energy. Sax master Maceo Parker brings the stone-cold James Brown funk of "Gimme Some" the right kind of street cred. Good times, people, good times.
X-Factor: Guest appearances for Grupo's 3121 residency included Marc Anthony, will.i.am and Mary J. Blige.
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