1. You're Fine
2. Sabroson
3. Rhythm and Life
4. Antonio
5. Mi Buenaventura
6. Stronger
7. This Time
8. Let's Stay Together
9. Memories
10. Rio De Janeiro Blue
Alex Wilson - Piano, keyboards
Emeris Solis - Congas
Dave Pattman - Timbales, bongoes, hand percussion
Javier Fioramonti - Bass
Steve Dawson, Annette Brown - Trumpets
Trevor Mires, Alistair White - Trombones
Jason Thompson, Nicky Brown - Keyboards
Aquilla Fearon, Naomi Phillips, Elpidio Caicedo,
Wayne Ellington - Lead vocals
Phebe Edwards, Samantha White, Paul Lee, Alfonso
de Jesus, Nicky Brown - Backing vocals
Pete Whitfield, Sarah Brandwood-Spencer, Simon
Turner - Strings
"Salsa" is one of those terms
which are difficult to define, because it
signifies different things to different people.
In Spanish "salsa" means sauce and the music
is a kind of spicy Latin-American brand, with
some of the spice injected by jazz. Nowadays
it can vaguely mean almost any kind of Latin-American
music, but the genre can still be distinguished
from the more subdued Latin-American rhythms
like the bossa nova.
The jazz element of salsa
means that this album deserves to be reviewed
on this website, although the addition of
"soul" rather muddies the water, especially
with ingredients that some jazzers would regard
as alien to jazz - such as backing vocalists.
In fact pianist Alex Wilson supplies a spicy
brand of music which embraces jazz in such
aspects as the punchy brass and the invigorating
rhythms. Salsa shares with jazz such things
as rhythmic drive and an emphasis on percussion,
and those elements are clearly on display
here. This is stimulating music which makes
you want to dance or at least tap your feet.
On the other hand, some aspects
of this album may make jazz fans cringe. There
are some fairly vacuous lyrics - like those
in the opening You're Fine (e.g. "Hold
me close, you're just what I want"). Leader
Alex Wilson had a hand in writing many of
the songs but few of them are very memorable
and they tend to merge into one indistinguishable
bunch. Much of the music depends on the frequent
repetition of riffs - from the piano and brass
in Sabroson, the piano in Antonio,
etc. - which can sometimes get irritating
rather than attractive.
Having said that, there is
an undeniable appeal in such tracks as Rhythm
and Life (with massed vocals which seem
to have taken lessons from Stevie Wonder)
and Al Green's Let's Stay Together
(because it is a catchy song). In any case,
as already suggested, this is good music for
dancing or simply to create a warm atmosphere.
That's con-soul-ing.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Alex
Wilson Records AWCD 6
