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Sometimes you just don't know what to do
with press releases from big record companies. Universal starts
their announcement of "Rosco's" "Bendita La Fe
(Blessed Faith)" by describing it as ". . .show casing
the celebration of a global village where music is sung in a
kind of Esperanto. . ."
What?
That's a far cry from "Rosco's"
own words, since he simply describes his latest album as "tropical
pop." And that's exactly what it is. And pretty good, I
might add.
What "Rosco" calls "tropical
pop" is a very common occurrence in the Antilles, Central
and South America. It's sort of a mix of Salsa, Merengue, Ballads,
Blues, Big Band, Bolero, and a bit of Swing and Rock for good
measure. "Rosco" adds his own personal touch, with
a stronger than normal portion of blues and rock, plus a touch
of flamenco and some Cuban beats.
All the tracks are pretty good, and the
songwriting is top notch. The title track, "Bendita La Fe,"
is a glorification of free love and all that it means to him.
In "Me Calienta (She Makes Me Hot)," "Rosco"
talks about his feelings for a certain lady. I might have to
show this CD to my wife after all. . .
The first single, "Para Siempre (Forever),"
is a ballad with lyrics that remind me of too many "Journey"
love songs. The CD wraps up with "Mi Cuba Linda (My Beautiful
Cuba)," a song that will be an automatic tearjerker for
anybody that is away from his/her country of origin.
This is the funny part. The guitar playing
is going to sound familiar to anyone that has listened to "Chicago"
or "The Gypsy Kings." Why? He played guitar with both!
"Rosco" might seem young, but he's been in the business
for 18 years already, and he has reached a level of maturity
that is pretty evident from the first time you listen to "Bendita
La Fe."
I would recommend this CD to all fans of
tropical music, and it's a great introduction for those that
are not used to Latin music, since it sounds very pleasant even
if you don't understand Spanish |
