Search - Orquesta De La Luz :: Somos Diferentes

Salsa from Japan

Enrique Torres | San Diegotitlan, Califas | 11/22/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you have ever wondered about the popularity of salsa music, make no doubt about it, it is worldwide. Orquesta de la Luz exemplifies the international appeal of salsa music as they hail from Japan and are Japanese! Asia is not exactly the place you might associate with salsa but this band has been going strong for years. The lead vocals are by a young lady named Nora and her Spanish accent is very good; you cannot tell she is not a native Spanish speaker. If you listen to the band you would not know they are not Latinos. If you close your eyes and just listen they sound like they could be a band from New York or Miami. She sounds like a young toned down Gloria Estefan. The chorus is terrific and the musicianship by the jazzy players is top notch. More than just a curiosity these players are real salseros. There are a couple of torch burner songs like "Se Fue" and "Hoy , Manana y Siempre" but for the most part the music is uptempo. Included is a salsa version of the old Carpenters song entitled (They long to be) "Close to You" that is sung in English; the rest of the songs are all in Spanish. There is one pure instrumental song entitled "Boogalogy" that has that old school Willie Bobo jazzy feel. My feeling is that they should have included a few more songs like this that are equal parts jazz and funk con sabor(with flavor). If you like salsa music than try this for a different group that believes in musica sin fronteras or music without borders. Recommended for salseros worldwide."