AZUCAR y CANDELA (W 6-8p) Featured Album, 11/11/09: CALLE REAL, "Me Lo Gané"
BEST timba album from Sweden this year--and yes, there has been more than one! The land of ice and snow is quite the "home away from home" for this hot Havana dance rhythm. With only one Cuban in the band (conguero Rickard Valdes, son of Bebo and brother of Chucho) CALLE REAL is made up of mostly Swedes--although singer Thomas Eby just might fool you into thinking otherwise, with his mastery of Cuban accent and colloquialisms. READ MORE>>>
What pushes CALLE REAL to the forefront of European timba is that it doesn't just emulate, it evolves, adding a hint of canny pop sensibilities to the bombast, bounce, and harmonic expansiveness that define the genre. (Should this be any surprise, from the land that gave us ABBA?) This eagerly awaited second album (following their 2006 debut Con Fuerza) takes the tiger by the teeth, delivering unbridled dance energy, and plenty of unexpected twists; a timba lovers' delight.