Azúcar (Los Van Van album)

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Azúcar
Studio album by
Los Van Van
Released1992 (Cuba)
StudioEstudios de las Grabaciones Egrem (Havana)
LabelGreen Linnet/Xenophile,[1] Areito
ProducerJuan Formell
Los Van Van chronology
25 Años
(1994) 		Azúcar
(1992) 		Lo Ultimo En Vivo
(1995)

Azúcar is an album by the Cuban band Los Van Van.[2][3] It was released in the United States in 1994, the band's first album in eight years to be widely distributed.[4][5][6] Due to the U.S. embargo, the band did not tour behind the album until 1996.[7]

Production[edit]

The album was recorded in 1992. Los Van Van constituted 15 members, including three trombonists and three violinists.[8] Piano player César Pedroso contributed to the songwriting.[9]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Robert Christgau(1-star Honorable Mention)[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[12]

The Gazette called the album "vibrant dance music, a furious stew of trombones and violins, timbales, congas, keyboards and rousing vocals."[13] The Guardian deemed it "old-fashioned, high class, salsa from Cuba's foremost band."[14] The Boston Globe praised the "bright, hot dance tunes, played with extraordinary verve, punchy horns jumping out from a powerhouse rhythm section."[15]

The Americas determined that Los Van Van "takes the humble son into another dimension through splashes of modem influences and highly charged, energetic performances."[16] The Boston Herald stated that the sound "hinges on the interplay between charismatic singer Pedro Clavo and the chorus, an explosive percussion battery and the driving electric bass lines of band founder Juan Formell."[8] The Nation included the album in its article on 1994's notable releases.[17]

AllMusic wrote that "most of the CD consists of straight-ahead Afro-Cuban salsa; however, it also contains a few cuts that are essentially Latin pop with Afro-Cuban elements."[10]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Disco Azúcar" 
2."Tú No Colabores Si No Es Contigo" 
3."Que le Den Candela" 
4."Con El Destino No Se Puede" 
5."Ese Es Mi Problema" 
6."Oh No" 
7."Hasta las Cuantas" 
8."La Historia de Tania y Juan" 
9."Esperando Llamada" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Lannert, John (Dec 10, 1994). "Los Van Van Return". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 50. p. 37.
  2. ^ Steinberg, David (14 Apr 1995). "Basking in the Sounds of Cuba". Albuquerque Journal. p. E20.
  3. ^ Encyclopedia of Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Cultures. Vol. 1. Routledge. 2000. p. 1526.
  4. ^ Watrous, Peter (10 Dec 1994). "Band Leader Honors His Father, Himself a Band Leader in Cuba". The New York Times. p. 18.
  5. ^ "Top Ten Recordings 1994". Calendar. The Boston Globe. 22 Dec 1994. p. 18.
  6. ^ Semel, Benjamin (February 3, 1995). "Super Bowl Visits Cuba". The Times-Picayune. p. L14.
  7. ^ "Juan Formell y Los Van Van: 'Te Pone la Cabeza Mala". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b Convey, Kevin R. (June 9, 1995). "Music Discs". Boston Herald. p. S15.
  9. ^ Edgar, Jacob (1996). "Say Cheese". The Beat. Vol. 15, no. 1. pp. 38–40, 82.
  10. ^ a b "Azucar Review by Alex Henderson". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Los Van Van". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  12. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 329.
  13. ^ Feist, Daniel (31 Dec 1994). "Forgotten jewels: 1994's last roundup". The Gazette. p. D2.
  14. ^ Spencer, Neil (12 Feb 1995). "Pop Releases". The Observer Review Page. The Guardian. p. 16.
  15. ^ Wald, Elijah (8 Dec 1994). "Azucar Los Van Van". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 21.
  16. ^ Holston, Mark (May 1995). "Finding the latest from there to ear". The Americas. 47 (3): 55.
  17. ^ Santoro, Gene (Dec 26, 1994). "Our Holiday Lists". The Nation. Vol. 259, no. 22. p. 814.
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