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Combining elements of pop, punk, mariachi, alt-rock, grunge, and
rock en Espanol, Cordero's latest, En Este Momento,
is filled with border laments and rave-ups, heavy latin-rock percussion
and Spanish-influenced electric guitar riffs, mariachi-inspired trumpet
solos and hard rock bass lines. Fronted by Georgia native (and the
band's namesake) Ani Cordero, the Brooklyn-based quartet creates
bilingual music infused with political undertones and laced personal
revelations.
Beginning with the title track, En Este Momento alternates
between Spanish- and English-language songs that range from the punk
bass and drums of "Come On Dear" to the traditional latin
folk guitar and classical strings of "La Piedra" - all anchored
by Ani Cordero's sultry contralto, capable of both a jazzy lilt a
la Sarah Vaughn and a tenacious rock 'n roll growl. The title
track is a Spanish-language political rocker about oppression and
the slow erosion of civil liberties in the post-9/11 world. Beginning
with Cordero's measured guitar strums, "En Este Momento"
soon develops into a full-on rocker with heavy, Pearl Jam-inspired
bass and a punk-rock rhythm. "Gone In A Gamble," by contrast,
is a jazzy border ballad about a lover's ultimatum laced with distorted
guitar and reverb, while "Don't Let Them Destroy You" is
a sobering political elegy about the realization that some people
will never learn from their mistakes, never open their minds, never
heed the lessons of history. The album's closer, "Don Julio,"
is another sonic contrast - a traditional Puerto Rican folktale with
latin dance beat, mariachi trumpet, and simple electric guitar riff.
In between, Cordero and company rock out, dance, and serenade equally
adeptly.
The highlight of En Este Momento, however, is undoubtedly
"Close Your House Down," a slow-burning rocker that finds
the protagonist warning of a storm intent on destroying a certain
individual for past misdeeds. A hybrid punk/alt-rock song, "Close
Your House Down" finds the band building the tempo to a fever
pitch of echoing drums and ominous bass, then slowing down to near
silence before regaining momentum, catching the listener in its furious
sonic winds and transporting her into the eye of the storm. "Close
your house down/Lightning is searching for you/It's scorching bits
of earth/all along the route", Cordero smolders as the tempo
builds. Also of note is "Heart in Me" - a frenzied lover's
lamentation featuring a mixture of latin and punk rhythms, a sultry,
almost sinister, trumpet line, and rockabilly guitar licks. "Don't
let the sun go down/with you so far from home/I've been here all this
time/I've been here all alone", she croons over a rollicking
melody.
Featuring stellar musicianship and centered around Ani Cordero's
seductive vocals, En Este Momento is a musical journey into
both rock en Espanol and American alt-rock - at times both febrile
and tranquil, joyous and forlorn.
-Tracy M. Rogers
Track Listing:
1. En Este Momento
2. Heart in Me
3. Come On Dear
4. Matadora
5. La Piedra
6. Close Your House Down
7. Maria Elisa
8. Gone With a Gamble
9. Don't Let Them Destroy You
10. Mama Ven a Buscarme
11. Don Julio
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