Sunday, January 14, 2007

Vinyl Review; Bronx River Parkway- "La Valla" -7" single

This is one promising slice of wax, apparently taken from a forthcoming album from this Brooklyn-based eight piece Latin band. Bronx River Parkway have captured that classic seventies/ Fania record label sound in a way that too few Latin artists seem to care to re-visit. The group has been together for about six years, but so far they have only released a few singles. New York City based Truth and Soul Records have put this record out and will presumably release the full length debut from Bronx River Parkway in the near future. As of January 14 (yesterday) the full record had not come out yet.
The A-side "La Valla" was recorded in early 2006 in Puerto Rico, and features Jose Parla singing in front of some deep Latin grooves. It's a little harder than the B-side, which sounds like it could have come from on of those Fania All Stars live albums. The casual flow of the music and lyrics should make this one a warm weather favourite. Tito Cruz sings on this one, called "Nora Se Ve". This single has whet my appetite for a full album from these guys, and one must give credit to Truth and Soul Records for doing their part to keep current funk and other organic party sounds alive for current users.

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