Customer Reviews

Caraluna (Mcup)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

As much as I love Bacilos' 'Caraluna' album, considering how many accolades they gathered in 2003, and in spite of how much I can relate to them on a personal level (as another Venezuelan living in Florida), I have to stick with their debut album as their best work to date, hands down.

With an impeccable production and a continued Juanes-meets-Juan Luis Guerra type sound, their tracks "Mi Primer Millon" and "Nada Especial" are out-of-the-ordinary fun songs, and "El Edificio" even brings back memories of Charly Garcia's efforts from the seventies. But still the album doesn't quite have any songs like "Tabaco y Chanel", "Soledad" or "Cuestion de Madera", all from their self-titled debut album from 2001.

Still, if you ask me, this album is light years ahead of most latin-pop initiatives out there. Stay tuned for more great Bacilos material coming soon... I sure wish!

I sign off for 2003. It's been a pleasure sharing comments, thoughts and feelings about music, books, movies and more throughout this year. Thanks for all your positive (and negative) votes and your encouraging notes of support. Looking forward to continuing to be of help in 2004! ;)

I have followed the Bacilos from when they first got together in the early/mid 90's and went to several of their local shows in Miami when they were playing for friends. Eventually they released their first album Bacilos Bacilos/Madera, which was a diamond in the rough-if you will, and showed a lot of quality and potential. So much potential they were nominated for not one but 2 Latin Grammys, one of which was best new artist!
Now, about 4 years after their first release they come back with Caraluna which is definitely much more refined than Madera. The variety of musical styles that Jorge, André, and JJ put together only show a promise of much more to come.

I just wanted to write a small note to congratulate los Bacilos for a distinctive, superb, down to earth, and young sound that breathes new air into the Latin music scene eminating from Miami that so far, in my book has been dominated by artists with strong roots tied to one latin country. With this CD you get 3 for the price of 1!! you can't expect any less from a Colombian, a Brazilian, and a Puerto Rican!

Felicitaciones Bacilos por un trabajo bien hecho!!
Parabens!!

....the new disc is more cohesive and certainly more commercial, but never to the detriment of the music."
This is how Billboard's July magazine sees Caraluna in comparison to their first album. I couldn't agree more. Like their predecessor, Carolina is a work of art. This one, however, might be more rich and agressive. And this can be the reason behind the CD's one and only problem: it is addictive! I'm hooked not to one, but to all of the songs! I don't know if it's the singer's captivating voice, the wise songs, or the beautiful arrangements.....In Billboard's words: "Caraluna truly works because the songs are impeccable."

I feel compelled to write a review because of the unfair and narrowminded comments made about this band. I am not a fan of Estefan, in fact, I could not care less about the man; but that is another issue totally unrelated to how good this album really is.

The only bad things about this CD are (1) it eventually ends, which is not all that bad if you can play it again; and (2) these guys are going to have a bear of a problem outdoing this one.

'Mi Primer Millon', 'Caraluna' (in my household known as the 'Mother of All Songs'), 'Solo un Segundo', 'Viejo' (great arrangement with the violin, BTW), 'Odio el Silencio', 'Barcelona' (for those of you who enjoy Bossa Nova), 'El Edificio' (intelligent analogy on society)... These are some of the ones that come to mind.

Trust me on this... this album is awesome and worth much more than you'll pay.

Looking forward to the next one guys!

É impressionante, mas os garotos conseguiram superar o primeiro CD! Depois de tanto tempo de expectativa dos fãs por um novo CD, conseguimos músicas claramente mais refinadas, mostrando o amadurecimento da banda!
Uma pena que, apesar de ter um brasileiro na banda, músicas em espanhol não são sucesso no Brasil, nos privando de shows como o de Bacilos!
Parabéns pelo excelente álbum!

This is a great CD. The singers (Jorge Villamizar (vocals/guitars), Andres Lopes (bass/guitar) and Jose Javier Freire (drums/vocal) ) have done an excellent work.
Some of the songs are more popular than others, for example: CARALUNA and MI PRIMER MILLÓN. These songs are not the only good ones,because EL EDIFICIO, BARCELONA, BUENA, ELENA and SOLO UN SEGUNDO are great songs, too.

I like this CD because it is a different kind of music. The first time I heard Bacilos (in the house of a friend), I liked it. The first song I heard was "Caraluna": I loved it. But I bought the CD only some months after that, and de only thing that I regret is that I didn't buy it before.

"...memorable songs with just the right dose of sophistication and pesonaltiy to make them rise above simply good pop." This was part of a review on Bacilos' Caraluna that appeared on Billboard's July edition. And I couldn't agree more with it. The rich songs and exquisite sound of this album are simply astonishing. I am totally hooked to not one, but all of the songs. How can this be? Billboard says, "Caraluna truly works because the songs are impeccable." I think the magazine is absolutely right. This album is the closest to perfection I have ever heard.

One of the best albums I've heard in a long time. Fun, lively, interesting, and with tons of songs you'll want to put on repeat!!! Definitely worth a listen!!!
Some songs to check out first: "Mi Primer Millon," "Caraluna," "Viejo," "Nada" (most of which they performed on tour with Alejandro Sanz).
Aupa Bacilos!!! Te quiero Andre!!! ;)

I have to say that this is an amazing record, it has the perfect mixture of instruments, melodies, words...romantic, tropical... I really recommend it as a record that will make you think and dream and dance and enjoy it. My favorite songs are Viejo and Barcelona, but all the songs are great!!! I highly recommend it...

....the new disc is more cohesive and certainly more commercial, but never to the detriment of the music."
This is how Billboard's July magazine sees Caraluna in comparison to their first album. I couldn't agree more. Like their predecessor, Carolina is a work of art. This one, however, might be more rich and agressive. And this can be the reason behind the CD's one and only problem: it is addictive! I'm hooked not to one, but to all of the songs! I don't know if it's the singer's captivating voice, the wise songs, or the beautiful arrangements.....In Billboard's words: "Caraluna truly works because the songs are impeccable."