CD Review: Lluvia con Sol by Orquesta el Macabeo (Discos de Hoy 2013)

Review by Bill Tilford, All rights reserved 
(This review was originally prepared for our Nuestros Primos Musicales section, which covers music of interest to our readers that may not always fall under a strict definition of Cuban music)

Puerto Rico's most interesting progressive Salsa band, Orquesta el Macabeo, is back with a new release, Lluvia Con Sol.  Although this is unquestionably a Salsa band, its members have experience in Ska, Reggae, Punk, Rock and Jazz as well, and this influences not only the lyrics, which are often funny, hard-hitting and sometimes full of social commentary, but the songwriting itself, which sometimes uses melodies that would work as well in Two-Tone or Third-Wave Ska as they do in Salsa. (All of the songs on the recording are originals.) Don't let this frighten you if you are a dancer or DJ - the rhythms are what you would expect in a Salsa album, and there won't be any trouble on the dance floor.  There is even a beautifully-written bolero/canción, Olvidame, and finding something like that on a contemporary Salsa album (as opposed to tributes or retrospectives) is practically like seeing a unicorn in the flesh. 

The title track, Lluvia con Sol, is one of the more musically laid-back songs in the album, but the lyrics and the video also have a special kind of edge to them:

Highly recommended if you listen to any Salsa at all, especially if you understand the lyrics. Orquesta el Macabeo's website is orquestaelmacabeo.com

Tracks:
Lluvia Con Sol
Mi Repito
La Sensacion
No Se Cuando Llegue
Boda
No Te Debo Nada
Olvidame
Macacoa

Personnel Roster for Lluvia Con Sol