Colapesce, Dimartino Raramente

After he turned 70, French disco innovator Marc Cerrone celebrated half-a-century in the music business with the release of Cerrone by Cerrone, a continuously mixed set of reworked hits from throughout his storied career. He originally made updated versions of these songs for his DJ sets, keeping the essence of the songs intact but updating the production for contemporary dancefloors. This mix presents the retouched songs in action, blended with a few remixes by other producers, including previously released versions by Dimitri from Paris and Joey Negro. The majority of the tracks feature re-recorded vocals by Brendan Reilly, who appeared on Cerrone's 2016 dance-pop effort Red Lips as well as albums by Disclosure, Basement Jaxx, Duffy, and many others. While he's certainly a skilled vocalist, he doesn't particularly add anything new to the songs, and he often pushes them a bit too far into slick, radio-friendly blandness.

A beautifully arranged collection of classics from the American Songbook. Alexis Cole's voice is one of a kind, mysterious and seductive. The solos are great… melodic, breezy and moving. All the solos on the cd provide a wonderful compliment to the experience. Perfect for a romantic evening for two. Just beautiful.

Mongo Santamaria - Sofrito (1976) {Vaya Records VS-53 rel 1992}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 329 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 115 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 5 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1976, 1992 Vaya Records | VS-53
Jazz / Latin / / Afro-Cuban Jazz / Soul Jazz / Congas

The reissue of late Mongo Santamaria's 1976 album Sofrito – he died in February 2003 – by Vaya brings many questions to the fore. While the record was greeted by somewhat lukewarm press reviews at the time of its release given its preoccupation with groove-jazz-oriented sonics and production, and was considered a minor work by many. But on compact disc and with the new look at the era's recordings by virtually everyone, from Willie Bobo, Willie Colón, Ray Barretto, and other jazzmen of the time, such as Deodato, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Herbie Hancock, Sofrito is, perhaps, a timeless Latin soul-jazz classic.