|
TOTAL:
|
$0.00 |
|
|
Contact us to license Latin music for tv & film.
|
ChapeandoArtist: Los Van Van
|
||
| # | Name | Play | Time | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Chapeando |
|
5:16 | canta Roberton |
| 02 | Corazon |
|
4:42 | canta Lele |
| 03 | Despues De Todo |
|
6:08 | canta Yeni |
| 04 | No Pidas Mas Prestao |
|
4:17 | canta Mayito |
| 05 | Por Que No Te Enamoras |
|
4:40 | canta Roberton |
| 06 | Te Recordaremos |
|
4:41 | con Diego el Cigala |
| 07 | Anda Quiereme |
|
5:45 | canta Lele |
| 08 | Nada |
|
5:02 | canta Yeni |
| 09 | La Buena |
|
6:02 | canta Robertón |
| 10 | Agua |
|
5:44 | canta Mayito |
| 11 | Ven Ven Ven |
|
5:59 | can Robertón |
| 12 | El Montuno |
|
6:55 | canta Mayito |
| 13 | Chapeando Reprise |
|
1:35 | canta Robertón |
The first release after the exit of long standing vocalist -Pedro ‘Pedrito’ Calvo- and pianist -Cesar ‘Pupy’ Pedroso-, this is a more aggressive timba release by Los Van Van that is full of surprises. Led by father and son team Juan (bass & director) and Samuel Formell, the band finds a different twist on their classic sound with the introduction of new members: mainly, Abdel Rasalps, who sounds like Pedrito, a tremendous female singer by the name of Yenisel Valdés, and burning new pianist Roberto Rodríguez.
Musicians on CHAPEANDO by Juan Formell y Los Van Van
| Juan Formell | Director musical y bajo |
| Samuel Formell | Drums, timbales y campanas |
| Mario "Mayito" Rivera | Voz solista y coros |
| Roberto Hernandez "Guayacan" | Voz solista, coros y congas |
| Yenisel Valds "Jenny" | Voz solista y coros |
| Abdel Rasalps "Lele" | Voz solista y coros |
| Hugo Morejn | Diseño de los mambos, trombón y órgano |
| Roberto Carlos Rodriguez "Cucurucho" | Piano |
| Jorge Leliebre | Flauta y coros |
| Boris Luna | Teclado |
| Alvaro Collado | Trombón |
| Edmundo Pina | Trombón y pads |
| Pedro Fajardo | Violin |
| Irving Frontela | Violin, viola y dirección sección de cuerdas |
| Pavel Molina | Bajo |
| Julio Noroa | Guiro |
| Manuel Labarrera | Congas |
Review of CHAPEANDO by Michelle White of www.TIMBA.com
Chapeando is one of those Timba CDs that seemed to take forever to be released, the official release being at la Tropical on January 7, 2005. As of the beginning of March it is still not readily available for fans, hence this little report.
I happened to be in Cuba at the time of the release and my first opportunity to listen to it came from a roadside quemador. We asked to listen to the CD and a little abuela came out and produced a completely blank CD, which she put in the CD player. "You must have gotten the CDs mixed up", we said when the first song started with the sounds of running water, birds and a little piano and flute. But after 50 seconds we heard the unmistakable sound of Robertón's laughter and knew we'd found the right CD. This was followed by the first coro of the song: Oro mi mama yo co da, oro mi from a song for Yemayá, which reflects the idea that Formell had for the CD.
Fortunately I was able to find the real CD at the airport on my way back to Sweden. The CD cover itself is almost reason enough to buy the CD. In addition to some beautiful artwork, there are 3 short articles written about the group with quite a bit of Afro-Cuban religious reference, one written by Juan Formell himself explaining his ideas about the CD. The cover also contains the lyrics and coros, although not the guías.
If the CD has any weakness it would be that three of the biggest dance hits on the CD, Agua, Anda Ven y Quiéreme and Ven, Ven, Ven, have been floating around for over a year, so they don't feel like "new" songs. On the other hand, the versions on Chapeando are slightly different from the "demo" versions. Most obvious is that Anda Ven y Quiéreme is noticeably slower than the demo version. The other songs have slightly different guías but are on the whole much the same.
It's interesting to note that 4 of the songs were written by the new generation of vanvaneros, Samuel and Cucurucho each having authored two songs. Probably the most unexpected track on the CD is the song Te Recordaremos by Diego el Cigala. It's a surprisingly successful blend of flamenco and salsa, and while it's not likely to be a great dance hit, it does have its dance moments.
With this CD we really get to see what Lele and Yeni are capable of, and they prove that Juan Formell knew what he was doing when he brought them into the orchestra. Anda Ven y Quiéreme has been a favorite among dancers for over a year now, but with Corazón, Lele proves that he has earned his place in Los Van Van. I dance rueda with a group of friends twice a week and everyone sings along with certain lines: ¡Ese corazón me lo llevo yo! ¡Todos que quieren Van Van con las manos pa'cielo!and we all raise our hands in the rueda. It passes the Swedish Rueda test with high marks.
As for Yeni's two songs, the men are all raving about how sexy her voice is. Despues de Todoseems to start out slowly because the cuerpo has 3 verses, but enjoy the lyrics and never fear, you have to wait a bit, but the hardcore section starts up at about 4 minutes: la que pasó pasó está bueno ya, no comentes más ya pasó. Nada also has really amusing lyrics, from a woman's point of view, but due to its cha-cha-fusion feel (there's even a rap section!) it may not be as big among dancers as some of the other songs. Personally, I love it! Ayer por la mañana, dijiste que más tarde..., después llegó la noche y resultó...y como siempre tú...nada. Listen to the way she builds up the intensity in her voice, as if you can feel her anger building up.
And then we have Mayito and Robertón who have now become the "old timers" among the singers. In addition to Agua, which we all know by heart, Mayito sings No Pides mas Presta'o and El Montuno, and he sings the heck out of them. All the songs are excellent, but I especially love El Montuno which sort of describes how Juan Formell was able to revitalize popular Cuban dance music. Just listen to Mayito's guías! He swept the Timba.com awards in the lead singer category, and when you listen to these songs you can see why. And check out the solos by Cucurucho and Samuel!
Robertón has the honor of singing the title track, to which his deep voice is perfectly suited. In addition he sings Ven, Ven, Ven and La Buena have been around for a while and are already classics. But I think my favorite of Robertón's songs on this CD is Por Qué no Te Enamoras, originally a Candido Fabré song.
With the exception of the beginning of Chapeando, Te Recordaremos and Nada, the CD is packed with killer dance songs. As always Los Van Van combines faster and slower songs, and as with older songs such as De Igual a Igual and Llévala a Tu Vacilón, even the slower songs have such an intensity that they give the dancers the adrenaline kick they are seeking. You can really get your groove on.
In closing I can only say that I hope the CD soon becomes available to everyone, and don't be surprised if Los Van Van find themselves nominated for another Grammy!
