¡Ay Caramba! (2005)
17 tracks, 60 minutes
Bandcamp · Spotify · iTunes
Maybe it’s a bit of an overexaggeration to say that this album directly led to me becoming a music writer, but not by much. The very first time I ever read a copy of Songlines Magazine, I stuck the free CD in the machine, pressed play and *BAAA BAAA BAM!* da da da da *BAAA BAAA BAM!*
Wow.
The first track on that sample CD was ‘Oye Compay Juan’ from this album, ¡Ay Caramba! by Ska Cubano. The stereo was turned up way too loud – or maybe the exactly correct volume - and those opening horn blasts and timbale runs went through me like electric. I devoured that magazine and haven’t really stopped since. And now I’m a writer. So there’s a link there somewhere, possibly.
Ska Cubano have such a simple idea, spelled out in their name – ska, but if it were Cuban – but it just works so well. It’s kind of amazing that it hadn’t been tried before…or if it had, it didn’t get anywhere near the traction of Ska Cubano. Add in hints of calypso, klezmer, cumbia and little bits of other stuff and you get this wonderfully infectious album. It’s all made by utterly top-class musicians, from the squealing clarinets to the jangly trés and the cheeky vocals of Beny Billy (Cuban, in Spanish) and Natty Bo (British, in English).
When you listen to this album, sitting still is impossible – it will electrify you just as it did me 14 (wtf) years ago. Get up and dance around till your head drops off.
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