Today marks the release of the highly-anticipated 11th album from Latin Alternative pioneers, Aterciopelados. Recorded in their hometown of Bogotá and mixed by Hector Castillo [of Brazilian Girls, Gustavo Cerati and David Bowie fame], Rio [River] is a passionate, socially-conscious album that continues to stay true to the duo's signature rock sound.
Like their Latin Grammy award-winning album, Oye [Listen], Rio calls fans to action. "Errante Diamante" [Wandering Diamond] is the theme song behind "Destierro y Reparacion" [Exile and Reparation], a Colombian project focused on forced displacement and its effects on society, and "Bandera" [Flag], another single on the album, takes on immigration. "Rio," the albums first single, takes its inspiration from a Colombian referendum dedicated to the basic rights of the country's bodies of water.
There's a certain soulfulness to "Rio" that keeps me playing it over and over. It's definitely worth a listen. Andrea Echeverri, the voice behind the duo, says musically and lyrically, the track is unlike any previous Aterciopelados song. "I'm even singing in a different way than in the past. With this one, we reached an entirely new place," she adds.
Echeverri and Hector Buitrago make beautiful music together and with a unique range of guest artists [Gloria "Goyo" Martinez of the Colombian hip hop act Choc Quib Town and the Andean group Kapary Walka to name a few] Rio will not only meet Oye's success - it will surpass it!
First single: "RIO" *Note: this is not the official video. It's just a fan video I found, but the audio is authentic.
Here's what the critics are saying:
“A Spanish-language Patti Smith, Colombia's Andrea Echeverri offers prayers for the polluted Bogotá River over the sultry, syncopated funk rock of "Río"... Girl's got flow, like Rio itself.” -- Rolling Stone
“Aterciopelados audaciously and convincingly reinvent themselves like no one's business... On "Rio," the garage punks turned trip-hopsters turned folk-rock fusionistas musically sound like an amalgam of themselves... Andrea Echeverri’s spunkiness is cool, contemplative, mature and poetic, as well as unabashedly confrontational.” -- The Washington Post
So what are you waiting for? Rio - a la venta ya!
Fun Facts:
* Aterciopelados will be touring the U.S. to promote Rio in 2009, so be on the look out for concert dates.
* Echeverri gave birth to her second child this past week - felicitaciones chica!
Check out these interviews:
INSPIRATION
COLLABORATIONS
SONGS
1 comment:
You know what, the "Rio" album is way better than I thought it was. I like the "Bandera" song a lot; and the song "Tigre" seems like a throw back to the era of (and this may sound like blasphemy) but it sounds a little like Fleetwood Mac, but updated. Good review!
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