PISTOLERA

~ En Este Camino

2008-09-29

While Latin music in a language I'd largely forgotten (despite my two years of Spanish in high school) isn't necessarily my thing, after a couple of listens to the sophomore effort of Brooklyn based Pistolera, I was widely impressed. Thanks to their website that offered a translation of their lyrics into a more understandable form, I was able to listen with new ears the second time around. The album kicks off with the catchy and hope-filled dance track Nuevas Ojos (New Eyes). While this optimistic view is heard throughout, the second track, Piloto (Pilot) perhaps exemplifies this the most as it sheds some political light on border control by offering the following simple and yet heart-felt lyrics: "one door close and another opens. There is always a way out." Another standout albeit melancholy track is the accordion driven Inquieta (Restless) which delves beautifully into reminiscing about the past. This is followed by the horn-driven and political Extranjero (Foreigner) that reminds us all that we are all foreigners so "don't forget it." As a fan of Bob Marley, I was pleasantly surprised to hear Pistolera tackle his Guerra (War) – yet another standout track on this recording. To hear raggae with the Latin percussion and in another language was truly a treat and proved to be a winner on all accounts. Overall, Pistolera's release En Este Camino was a pleasant surprise to me and I trust will offer you a bit of a surprise as well if you're willing to give it a listen. by Jeff Bouma

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