Tracks
- El Cayuco
- Complicacion
- 3-D Mambo
- Llego Mijan
- Cuando Te Vea
- Hong Kong Mambo
- Mambo Gozon
- Mi Chiquita Quiere Bembe
- Varsity Drag
- Estoy Siempre Junto a Ti
- Agua Limpia Todo
- Saca Tu Mujer
Dance Mania, Vol. 1 is another excellent Afro-Cuban album. It's loud, dynamic and exciting, and probably good to dance to. The horns are pleasing to listen to and the percussion is very colorful. It's also well-orchestrated; together, the horns and percussion move the pieces along very well.
There's some variety in the album, but even after listening several times, the pieces still didn't seem to stand out on their own.
Dance Mania, Vol. 1 is certainly worth listening to. The highlights on the album are El Cayuco, Complicacion, Hong Kong Mambo, Mi Chiquita Quiere Bembe and Saca Tu Mujer.
★★★★★★★★★☆
Tracks
- Wild Jungle
- Congo Mulence
- Kenya
- Oyeme
- Holiday
- Cannonology
- Frenzy
- Blues a la Machito
- Conversation
- Tin Tin Deo
- Minor Rama
- Tururato
Kenya is a wonderful Afro-Cuban album. It has a similar manic excitement to Sabu's Palo Congo, but there is more orchestration, so it's more refind and there's no calling and less emphasis on the congas, so it feels less primal.
There are a lot of brass instruments, so most pieces tend to build up slowly to a big, brassy climax. A similar thing happens with the music of Duke Ellington and Count Basie, but less frequently. It's interesting, but it makes the pieces too similar-sounding.
All the pieces are worth listening to, but the stand out ones are Wild Jungle, Kenya, Holiday (It's a piece everyone's heard, but no one would know who performed it), Cannonology, Conversation and Minor Rama.
★★★★★★★★☆☆
Tracks
- El Cumbanchero
- Billumba-Palo Congo
- Choferito-Plena
- Asabache
- Simba
- Rhapsodia del Maravilloso
- Aggo Elegua
- Tribilin Cantore
Palo Congo is an exciting album. There's a lot of conga playing and I really enjoy congas. Since it's Afro-Cuban music, it's sung in Spanish. It's too bad I don't understand Spanish. However I suspect there's not much depth to the lyrics. The fast rhythm, the repetition, the conga-playing and the singing, which on some songs is more like loud calling, all combine to give it a real tribal, primal feeling.
The songs have a similar sound, except for Rhapsodia del Maravilloso and, perhaps, Tribilin Cantore, since both are guitar-oriented songs. Because of the similar-sounding songs, it may get tiresome to listen to this album often, but it's certainly worth taking out now and then, especially if you want to hear something a little exotic.
The songs that really stand out are El Cumbamchero, Billumba-Palo Congo, Simba, Aggo Elegua and Tribillin Cantore.
★★★★★★★★☆☆
