"Kimba Fa"
Eva Ayllon
(Four Corners, 2009)
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A nice new set from one of Peru's reigning divas of popular and folkloric song... This album opens up with a pair of sinuous, robust, salsa-flavored dance tunes, replete with Afro-Peruvian percussion. Then comes my personal favorite off the album, "El Surco," a multi-layered acoustic song; the rest of the record drifts into jazzier, poppier territory, akin to the sleek sounds of Cuba's Irakere. Ayllon's impassioned, aging-yet-energetic vocals are buoyed by strong, sympathetic arrangements; longtime fans will be delighted while newcomers may find this an entryway into modern Peruvian music. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To World Music)