La Excelencia - Ecos Del Barrio

Written by Steve

La Excelencia - Ecos Del Barrio

Following on from their previous two releases 'Salsa con Conciencia' and 'Mi Tumbao Social', New York based Salsa band La Excelencia have delivered their eagerly awaited 'Ecos Del Barrio' album.

For anyone that's not already familiar with the band, La Excelencia have been making waves within the Salsa music scene since their inception in 2005, due to their raw hard-hitting sound and conscious song-writing, as well as their great live shows. The band was founded by percussionists Jose Vazquez-Cofresi and Julian Silva, who have self-funded the releases through their own 'Handle with Care Productions' imprint.

Onto the album, and after a brief intro track, the album kicks off in true La Excelencia style, courtesy of 'Pa'l Mundo Entero' and the trademark horns that have become synonymous with the bands sound. There's no gentle easing into things here, but this is La Excelencia - full on and in your face from the off!!

There are a real variety of styles brought out in this album, from the fast-paced 'Dale Oportunided' and its lovely piano undertones courtesy of the hugely talented Willy Rodriguez, to the insanely-soulful Tres-driven cha-cha of 'Guerrero', and the lovely strings evident on 'María'.

There's a lot here that epitomises the raw sound of the band that we're used to, but there's also a real maturing of their sound and production throughout this album, particularly in the great dance floor burners of 'Nueva York Sin Ti', 'Anoche Soñé Contigo', and 'Iyáñlá', the cha-cha of 'Vagabundo', and the delightful 'Descarga La Excelencia (Tsumugi)', which provides the musicians with a great platform on which to highlight their impressive skills!

In summary, this is great leap forward for a band that are constantly continuing to challenge and push boundaries within the Salsa music scene. There's a real maturity about their sound now, while the conscientious lyrics remain, and the album production and sequencing is top drawer!!!

There's a lot of danceable material throughout, and I expect this CD to receive a lot more airtime in Salsa clubs than the previous two releases, and this is also  a collection of tracks that are going to further enhance the bands already impressive live shows.

Finally, it's not just the music either with this band, they bring great design concepts and artwork to accompany the sounds… the whole image is complete… La Excelencia are a band that are totally relevant to today, they're cool, and a group that the younger generation of salseras can really relate to.

(Reviewed by Steve / DJ Torqueo)

WEBSITE: www.laexcelencia.net

TRACKLISTING

01 - Intro
02 - Pa'l Mundo Entero
03 - Dale Otra Oportunidad
04 - Nueva York Sin Ti
05 - Guerrero
06 - María
07 - Entre Espinas
08 - La Economia
09 - Anoche Soñé Contigo
10 - Vagabundo
11 - Iyáñlá
12 - Descarge La Excelencia (Tsumugi)

LISTEN

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2012 WORLD TOUR

The band are about to embark on their world tour, visiting the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Turkey, and many more. For dates and details, please visit: http://www.laexcelencia.net/events.htm

RELATED LINKS

Salsa-Central Video Interview with La Excelencia in 2008 - Part 1 - WATCH