Search - Da Lata :: Serious

Seriously.... what happened?

bordersj2 | Boston | 01/16/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I really agree with the previous reviewer. No Oli. No Liliana Chachian. And very little Nina Miranda. What do you get? Braziliance running out the door faster than Ronaldo chasing a loose ball. This is the outfits 3rd release, second full if you discount their remix project, and boy did they go in another direction. Sometimes I really hate it when that happens. I mean, I can't say it enough - what happened? Why? Songs From the Tin was a terrific cd. Liliana's voice was very rich and spirited, Patrick Forge's mixing was on point and getting stronger and Christian Franck - what can I say? He's a terrific musician and guitarist. But here they seemed to have dropped the whole Brazilian vibe and have gone in a more African sounding direction. Then they go towards a more electronic sound instead of having live musicians. The sound seems forced and this just isn't as original. Which is okay if you're into that sort of sound. But it's a bit of a disappointment if you're a fan of the Smoke City and old Da Lata tracks... expecting to hear Franck on the guitar, pinpoint mixing and breathtaking vocals. I honestly picked this up the day it came out, pumped that it was coming out however couldn't review it - I too listened to it a few times trying to find something fantastic about it but... it's just not there. The song I enjoyed was "If U Don't Know", but that was the second shortest. I only hope they take a step back and return to their other sound. I'd have to recommend against this if you're a "Songs From the Tin" fan or into Smoke City's "Flying Away". Da Lata does have a remix project but even there be warned, the sound is a bit different from Songs From the Tin (but still much much better than this). It features some pretty sweet cuts and original Da Lata remakes and takes like Ponteio, Golden and a remix to KV:5's (Marc Brown of Smoke City's other project) Lies & Untruths. On the flip side if you do enjoy this, you'd probably also enjoy the newest from Mo Horizons (think Foto Viva) cd titled "Mo' Horizons and the New Bohemiam Freedom"."

Buy the import version.. "Seriously"

V. Lara | Houston, Texas | 08/30/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I really enjoyed Da Lata's first cd so I thought I would take listen to "Serious", but opted to buy the Japan import because it contains four bonus tracks. I will admit, the overall sound of the cd was different than "Songs from the Tin", with the acception of a few tracks, maybe Patrick Forge and Chris Franck just wanted to try something a little different. The bonus tracks on the Japan import are, Golden (which is also on the Da Lata remixes album, so maybe it does'nt count), Change (Synth version), Serious (Seiji Remix), and Petropolis (sung by Nina Miranda with guitars and percussion performed by Chris Franck). Golden, Change, and Serious (Seiji Reimx) all have the same sound that flows throughout the cd, but Petropolis has more of a "Songs from the Tin" kind of vibe. The highlights of the cd for me were golden (import bonus track), if u don't know, distracted minds, and petropolis (import bonus track). If you can do without the bonus tracks or if you are new to Da Lata, then you should probably buy the domestic version, regardless, the songs on this cd (Domestic or Import) are definitely worth taking a listen.



Additionally, for those who did not like the musical direction of the this album, as opposed to the sounds and vibe of "Songs From The Tin", check out Trio De Lata's "Deep Water" on Multidirection 2 and "Beija Flor" which is featured on a couple of different compilations (Sun Sun Bonus, just to name one). There is also another Da Lata track, that I have not heard it yet, but if you are interested, "Ronco de Cuica" is featured on the Kyoto Jazz Massive tribute "For KJM" and the "10 Years Anniversary" cd. (Trio Da Lata is Patrick Forge and Christian Frank with Sharon Scott on vocals)"