Customer Reviews

Clasicos De La Provincia

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Carlos Vives will probably be remembered as the man who globalized Colombian music and musicians.

Clasicos de la Provincia is where it started. Being a Colombian, I really like vallenato. Even though Carlos didn't use the pure original rhythm, this CD is wholly based on it, adding modern sounds such as guitars.

Most of the songs are old classics, and they're top quality by their own. Yet, Carlos Vives manages to create a powerful mixture and made them accesible to another audience. Great combination, great energy... overall, a must-have if you like this type of thing!!! 5 stars.

este cd de carlos vives rescata uno de los ritmos musicales colombianos ("vallenatos")a traves de una seleccion de los mejores temas de distintos autores.Pese al cambio de ritmo y orquestacion, la adaptacion de Vives logra un formidable ritmo y encanto, sin que pierdan sus caracteristicas originales. No hay en este cd ningun tema que pueda juzgarse ni siquiera mediocre. El resultado es notable y permite descubrir y valorar un ritmo colombiano, que a partir de su primera audicion sera dificil que se despegue algun dia de nosotros.Es una obra indispensable, para aquellos que gusten de ritmos diferentes bien tratados y una muestra del respeto que merece nuestra musica. De mis 400 cd de latinoamerica es uno de los dilectos.

"La Gota Fria" (translated "The Cold Drop") was the drop that filled the bucket, back when Carlos Vives broke into the forefront of the Latin American radio airwaves. He busted in with a blend of Colombian folklore music (vallenato) with rock instruments that was not just original, but also sounded amazingly contagious. Within a few months, everyone knew who he was and the rest became history.

After this album, he had a stream of releases, all of which have been up to the public's expectation, maintaining a seamless combination of the genres with lyrics that get you off your feet, either to dance, to fall back laughing or to kiss your loved one. Carlos Vives knows how to do it, and he does it well.

This Vives' superb 1994 musical debut brought the amazing vallenato musical tradition to world consciousness. CLÁSICOS is a collection of twentieth-century Colombian vallenatos, a muscial form originally played with stick, drum and accordion, but here updated to include an impressive array of drums and electric instruments. This is coastal dance music, what Colombians listen to when they party, and it is simply intoxicating.

The classic heavy-groove "La Gota Fria"--radically different than Emiliano Zuleta's original-- kicks the disc off with its story of duelling musicians, and is followed by love songs, laments and even a track ("Alicia Adorada") which filters reggae through Latin sensibilities. From classic portraits of vallenato life-- the town drunk of "Compae Chipuco"-- to love songs like "Amor Sensible," Vives' collection explores the genre's best tunes.

Vives' band, La Provincia, includes members whose fathers wrote some of the tunes, and all are superb players. The music is fluid, supple, deeply groovy and compulsively danceable. The band-- and disc's-- highlight, however, is the awesome accordeon playing of Egidio Cuadrado. As a Guatemalan friend put it, "Jimi Hendrix was the Egidio Cuadrado of the electric guitar," and if so, "Purple Haze" must be Hendrix' guitar version of "Pedazo de Acordeon." Cuadrado, like Keith Richards or Bob Mould, drops blasts of rhythm, then drifts away into sly fragments of solos and back, all in a breath.

The album's genesis is also interesting. Vives was originally a Colombian soap-opera actor and rock musician (who wrote some really bad Colombian rock songs and ballads). He was approached by Colombian TV to play the role of the still-living Rafael Escalona, who is to vallenato what Hank Williams is to country, or Charlie Parker is to jazz, in an 8-part midly fictionalised version of Escalona's life. Vives and band formed to perform the songs, and then decided to record and release them. Vives'music has been dramatically changed by this recording--his latin pop now has a vallenato feel, and staples of his concerts are these tunes.

Another legend of note-- vallenato music was supposedly originally born in mythical time, when acordeón player Francisco El Hombre met the Devil, who told him that his time was over. Francisco challenged the Devil to a musical duel, beat him, and thus was born vallenato (a story echoed in the Brer Rabbit folktales of North America, and in "The Devil and Daniel Webster").

The Escalona film is interesting; the music sensational, and this was the disc that brought vallenato to first a non-Colombian and then world audience, and which paved the way for other artists sucvh as Juanes and Shakira.

Vives is also a superb live player and a fairly entertaining guy-- if he comes to your area, make the effort to see him, especially if Cuadrado is on acordeón.

I first heard this CD while living in Spain in '93 and this CD has since never been far from the CD player. On this album Carlos Vives is pure genius. Paying homage to the great folk musicians of his homeland (Colombia), Carlos takes the traditional music that is the soul of his country and adds a modern flare. Close your eyes and you will feel the music on this album touch your soul. You cannot help but move to the rhythms of the bass and the upbeat sound of the accordian. If you understand Spanish, some of the lyrics will make you laugh. If not, the music will lift your spirits. Regardless, this album should be a part of your latin collection!

I have many CD's from Carlos Vives, but this one is my favorite. In fact, it's my favorite CD period. Carlos Vives takes a regional Colombian form of music called "Vallenato" and infuses it with great energy. These songs will make you get up and dance, like it or not. One thing that definitely needs to be mentioned is the incredible accordian music, which I believe is the work of his usual accordianist Egidio Cuadrado, that is displayed on this and all his albums. If you are looking for a great latin CD or you own "El Amor de Mi Tierra", his most recent CD, pick this one up. You will not be sorry. I was turned on to Carlos Vives by my favorite person in the world. She knows who she is. Thanks E.G. !!!!

I heard La Gota Fria and got hooked to the melody and excitement in Carlos Vives's voice. So unique and lively!
You know he is having fun. This is a must have CD! I'll remember him in all my "parandas"!
Carlos - LIVES!

As a hispanic American, Colombian/Dominican, I am impressed with Carlos Vives' effort. The songs sound as good as ever- some modernized with electric guitar. It's not by accident that this cd has found it's way into many hispanic cd collections- Our family has three copys. Enjoy

este cd de vives, recrea la musica de una region de colombia (los vallenatos). Lejos de otros ritmos tropicales como la cumbia, interpretados a base de guitarra y acordeon, conforman un bello estilo. Vives actualiza los temas mas clasicos, de diferentes autores, modernizandolos y variando sus ritmos , y logrando un excelente resultado. Es un cd notable, con temas notables : la gota fria,la tierra de la hamaca,etc y sin ninguna cancion que no se disfrute al ser oida. Un cd que debe poseer todo aquel que guste de la buena musica latinoamericana. Bien ejecutado, bien arreglado hecho con toda la seriedad y encanto que esta bella musica merece. De los mejores cd de musica latina que he oido

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