CD Review -  Que no me controlen   by JG (Ahí Namá 2014)
Review by Michelle White , All rights reserved

Cubadisco 2015 Nominee for
Best Popular Dance Album by a New Group

Juan Guillermo Almeida - better known as JG "suena como se ve" - released his second CD "Que no me controlen" on the Ahí Namá label in 2014. His first CD, "Empezar de cero" was a solid timba album with arrangements by Maestro Juan Manuel Ceruto, but with "Que no me controlen" JG has really established his own sello . This time he has collaborated with other musicians of his own generation such as Randy Malcom (GdZ), Emilio Frias, Osvaldo Montero, Randy Pérez, Ángel Batule and even Maestro David Calzado. The result is a contemporary instrumentation and an upbeat sound that epitomizes Cuba's youth culture and should carry over well into other Caribbean and Latin American countries.

For some time JG has been followed by the phrase "suena como se ve" and the opening track  - composed by JG himself - bears this name. It is a sort of mission statement full of positive vibes and great dance energy to kick off the party. Have no doubt, "Que no me controlen" really is a great party album. Most of the tracks are timba and very danceable. There are some songs that lean more toward "tropical fusion" such as "Margarita" and a merengue "Adivina quien es".

The album has produced a number of hits such as "Que no que no", "Vas a sufrir" feat. La Charanga Habanera and "El dueño del party" feat. Los Extraterrestres. "Que no que no" won the 2014 Lucas Award (Cuba's video awards) for best Popular Dance Music video beating out Los Van Van, Tumbao Habana and Leoni. In addition the album was nominated for Best Popular Dance album by a New Group in Cubadisco 2015.

Other favorites of mine are two timba románticas: "Dices que soy" featuring Kelvis Ochoa - a composition by JGs father, Juan Almeida Bosque -  and "Me gustas tú" by Osvaldo Montero. The former explodes into timba whereas the latter makes beautiful use of cajones and electric guitar. In my opinion electric guitar doesn't normally work well with timba, but in the music of JG it is a perfect fit. "Bendíceme" by Emilio Frias with arrangement by Perdo Sureda is a song about the Santería religion that also starts off softly building to a timba climax.

Sincerely, the album has no weak songs. Fans of salsa dura or timba dura may find the songs too light, but if you are looking for fun dance music with a broad appeal, feel-good arrangements and entertaining sing-along lyrics this is it. I highly recommend it for dancers and DJs. Put this on at parties and watch the dance floor fill up!

You can find "Que no me controlen" at Amazon, iTunes and Spotify.

Personnel in Que no me controlen