Los Fulanos - “Si Esto Se Acaba Que Siga El Boogaloo” (Lovemonk - LMNK46)

Tagged with: Los Fulanos Si Esto Se Acabe Que Siga El Boogaloo boogaloo bugalu Barcelona Spain latin soul salsa Lovemonk Miguelito Superstar Joe Bataan Vampisoul Glyn Phillips Review WorldMusic.co.uk World Music

Barcelona’s Los Fulanos have finally delivered their debut album and it’s worth the wait.

It’s entitled “Si Esto Se Acaba Que Siga El Boogaloo” (‘If All This Ends, Keep On With The Boogaloo’) and it's on the Lovemonk label (LMNK46).

Los Fulanos serve up a suitably updated take on that groovy 60s hybrid, boogaloo. Very tasty, with enough foundations in latin soul (a controversial mix itself in its own time!) to be really musically grounded, some added retro-psychedelia, Spanish heat, urban cool and Nuyorican sabor and then all marinated in a rhythm’n’blues salsa.

It might look backwards for inspiration but it all works very well in today’s world.  Sweet as a nut!


“bags of energy and credibility … Very infectious album indeed”

There are 10 tracks (and a prelude) and it's sung in a mixture of English and Spanish with bags of energy and credibility and what I can only describe as a very authentic ‘American sound’ - especially the horns. Very infectious album indeed.


Mixed in with the boogaloo and disco, there are also plenty of other genres represented.  For instance, there is some skin-slapping rumba and explosive 70s style funk on “El Que No Está Se Lo Pierde” (Parts 1 & 2 respectively), “Sobran Cuero” is a very danceable salsa whilst “Manny” leans more towards rhythm and blues.

There's also a jazzy New Orleans vibe on “Kind of Guy”, groovy proto-rock on the New Order tune “Blue Monday”, the bolero “Hold On (Baby Hold Me)” is underpinned with wonderfully cheesy organ, and we also get a nice jazzy montuno on “The End of the World”, to name but a few.


"great ideas ... well-produced album, all executed with ... clear vision and a big dollop of gusto!"

There are lots of great ideas in this well-produced album, and all executed with slick musicianship, clear vision and a big dollop of gusto!   The producer is Miguelito Superstar (from Fundación Tony Manero)

I first came across Los Fulanos a few years back when they recorded an album “King of Latin Soul” on the Vampisoul label) with the Latin Soul legend, Joe Bataan (“Subway Joe”, “Ordinary Guy”, “There’s a Riot Going On”, “Gipsy Woman”, etc) and loved how they’d tastefully updated what I had always considered were anthems so classic that to mess with them would be foolish. So, respect where it’s due!

“Si Esto Se Acaba Que Siga El Boogaloo” by Los Fulanos is released in May 2012 and you can get more info on them here:


https://www.facebook.com/losfulanosbcn


http://www.myspace.com/fulanosbugalu

Glyn Phillips (WorldMusic.co.uk)