Review - Systema Solar: "Systema Solar"

Systema Solar review
“Systema Solar”
Systema Solar
Chusma Records
Release Date: Oct. 14, 2010

The Deal
Infectious, colorful cumbia and champeta music from the Colombian Caribbean. Deejay based music you can dance to, mop the floors and anything else but sit still.

The Good
Songs like “Bienvenidos”, Mi Kolombia and "El Majagual" all carry a feel-good, colorful, day-glo sound yet still reference and carry messages (drugs, war, cartels, corruption, hypocrisy, violence, poverty), though not especially in your
face. Ditto that for final two cuts, “Ya Veras” and “Quien Es El Patron?”
Non-Spanish speakers can still pick up the good-time vibe and not too much of the sadness of that war torn nation, because the music is positive and celebratory rather than fatalistic and preachy.

The Bad
The ballad “En Los Huesos” slows the pace a bit much, but only enough to lead into to the frenetic rest of the recording. Songs like “Oye”, while good, don’t quite deliver the goods or live up to expectations, by now unrealistically high because of the magnificent earlier cuts. Yes, it’s in Spanish but when has that bothered anyone?

The Verdict
If you have a job, you'll be moving and grooving while you work. If you don't have a job, it'll cheer you up. Not since the Golden Age of Reggae has such good music come from the Caribbean. Systema Solar is up there with other Colombian artists like Bomba Estereo (“Fuego”), Sidestepper and Choquibtown, adding another notch to Colombia’s international music contributions. Here is bright, ultra-vivid music for all ages.