Calle Real i Noreg

I samband med Latinfestivalen i Trondheim skal Calle Real holde konserter 25. og 26. januar.

For meir informasjon sjå latinfestivalen under festivallenker.

Her er ein video med gruppa og låta Princesa frå plata Con Fuerza.



"Calle Real's debut CD, Con Fuerza, is the culmination of a seven-year journey that has taken the band from Buena Vista Social Club style son group to a Timba band with a sello diferente. The band today consists of ten musicians, but the CD features the participation of several previous members who have moved on to other projects as well as many invitados, for a total of 21 people beyond the regular band members, so you'll just have to read the cover yourself for the complete list. Oh, by the way, the CD has different distributors for Sweden, Europe and the US, so the CD cover will differ depending on where you buy it.

The name Calle Real immediately takes your thoughts to the streets, and the CD has some interesting moments where they have included recordings from the streets of Cuba, such as beginning of the first song, Somos Calle Real, that features a recording of the introduction of Calle Real at their performance at the Beny Moré Festival in Cuba in 2003. Rompiendo Murallas fades into a 35-second Rumba de la Calle with Horacio Rodríguez on lead vocals. Amore Tal Vez Perdido ends with a 30-second recording of a girl improvising on the streets of Havana, and Soy Bueno, Soy Malo (La Rosa) begins and ends with something that sounds like it was recorded from a TV or radio program. These little moments underline the fact that while the band is Swedish, La Habana is their inspiration.

The instrumentation of the group is typical for Timba: drums with timbal, congas, güiro, piano and synth, bass (baby and electric), trombones and trumpet, and the sound of the band is rounded off with tres. There is only one lead singer, Thomas Eby, while trombonist/güirero Karl Frid and tresero Patricio Sobrado sing coro. Thomas has a tenor voice with a light timbre that makes him instantly recognizable, even on the coros.

Their music is hard-driving Timba, including excellent piano tumbaos, and plenty of gear changes that let you get your despelote on, an essential part of Timba for me. The inclusion of the tres adds another dimension to the guajeos, and although this instrumentation leads one to think of Revé, the band doesn't sound like Revé. In fact, they don't quite sound like anyone else. There is a swing or a groove that is very distinctive throughout the entire album; fast songs and slow songs alike. For me it is this heavy groove that characterizes the CD. I saw the band perform recently at a youth center and the young people were dancing, not casino, but they were all able to dance to the songs, and I think this groove is what makes it possible.

Honestly I enjoy the album so much that it is hard to pick favorite songs. The mark of a good CD is when you don't have to skip any songs to get to the ones you like best.

In conclusion, I feel confident recommending this CD to timberos. I have to admit that I am as guilty as the next person of having a skeptical attitude to any Timba group that is not Cuban. As surprising as it may seem, the guys of Calle Real have really understood what Timba is about, and they have mixed the Timba of Cuba with their own influences from Europe to create a very successful debut CD that is both Timba, yet different but always meant for dancing."

Kjelde: Michelle White, timba.com