Customer Reviews

Montana Rusa

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Very very interesting album. Nice instrumentation, solid vocals and an overall track selection that seems to go nicely.

I don't know hot to describe this group other than perhaps a cross between Soulstance and Reminiscence Quartet. They're heavy on the flute, but still manage to have a latin swing but without knowing which side of "latin" they want to swing with. Some of the rythms are clearly Brazilian, while the vocals are in Spanish.

In the end, Montana Rusa is a very good album and I'm happy to have had it added to my collection. La Septima Ola is a track found on the Serve Chilled vol 3 compilation, but this one is a bit different. Las Luces Del Norte is another strong song.. perhaps the most popular one. It's also on many different compilations - including Kyoto Jazz Massive's Crossbreed. For a full track listing, check out Amazon.co.uk. Otherwise I'll try to post it below:

1. Las Luces Del Norte
2. Ecos Morados
3. Montana Rusa
4. Butta Fingas
5. Go Bianco!
6. Daddy Chocula
7. Mi Amor Es
8. Las Luces Del Norte Reprise
9. Cuba Libre
10. El Noche
11. La Septima Ola

I recommend this CD. If you can find it, and you've collected Reminiscence Quartet, Soulstance or similar artists, I think you'll enjoy this release as well.

I first heard this UK group on the CD "Samba Sunset" (available through Amazon). Astonishing flute and female vocals over a Brazilan groove. Apparently it's a hit with the dancefloor crowd, see the reviews below. I'm not in that scene, but love good Brazilian music; this fits a bit in the 'nu-jazz' category. If you liked the first CD by Da Lata and such artists, and especially like flute and female vocals over lively tracks, you'll go ga-ga over this group.

Reviews from the label's website:

"A pioneering album from London, Montana Rusa breaks barriers and crosses genres with the greatest of ease" -XLR8R Magazine

"Smooth and sunny samba music that more than tips its hat to the dancefloor" -Straight No Chaser Magazine, UK

"F****ng stunning, just go and buy it!" -DJ Magazine

DJ comments:

"Perfect against sun soaked beaches & ting." -LTJ Bukem

"Stunning in the box 5/5. Ker - Pow!" -Yogi Haughton (DJ Magazine)

"Love it, play it everywhere" -Michael Reinboth (Compost)

You can get a new copy on LP for $20, and hear short sound clips of all the tracks (a 3:33 RAM file), at [...]
Give it a listen, you'll be convinced you've gotta get it! Four full-length songs are also available at their label site in Quicktime format.

Credits (from website)

Keyboards and Programming by Chris Bemand [don't worry, it's not heavy on the synthesizer cliches at all - PN)
Flute and Melodica by Simon George
Percussion by Will Parnell
Drums by Isaac Heywood
Bass by Hamlet Luton (1,2,5,7) & Simon George (3,4,9,11)
Vocals by Liz Fletcher(1,3,5,6,11) & Bronagh Slevin (2,7)
Guitar by Tony White (2,5,6)
Trumpet by Graeme Flowers (2,3,6,9,11)
Trombone by Dave Lidell (3,6)
Backing vocals by Cathi Ogden (11)

- : : ARTIST BIO : : - (from website)
While hanging out at the bar of the Montreax Jazz Festival, producer and keyboard player Christopher Bemand (Ballistic Brothers, Marden Hill, 45 Dip, Hed Kandi) and flute player Simon George met up with drummer Isaac Heywood and bassist Hamlet Luton of the famed chillout band Nightmare's on Wax. A love of all things liquid and Latin led to a recording session with percussionist Will Parnell (of the infamous Parnell family whose diverse credits include Spinal Tap and Saturday Night Live from the Palladium.) Then, the talent of jazz vocalist Liz Fletcher was added to the five piece band, and their first single, Las Luces del Norte, was brought into being. As Earth Projects' second release, Las Luces del Norte stormed onto the nu jazz dance scene in October of 2000.

The album Montana Rusa snatches influences from the coolest of Latin, Jazz and throws in a hefty dose of London dance scene. Also featured on the album are former Crustacian singer Bronagh Slevin, classical guitar player Antonio Bianco, Graham Flowers on Trumpet and Dave Liddell on Trombone.

I think like the original viewer notes, you'll be drawn to this album if you've heard one of their songs on another compilation. I first heard of Los Ladrones back in 2001 on Serve Chilled vol. 3. The cut was "La Septima Ola", and to be honest it's a different version of the song that's on this one... on that compilation it's far more ambient. Anyways, this is a group of about 12 musicians that put together a pretty kicking cd of cuts with all sorts of different latin influences.

I like this cd. After hearing "La Septima Ola", I also heard their "Las Luces Del Norte" on Kyoto Jazz Massive's stellar "Crossbreed" series and my mind was made up. That song, which opens this album, has sensational and spirited flute work over a soulful vocal, creating a very cool mood. That's followed up by "Ecos Morados", with Bronagh Slevin on vocals. I wasn't as impressed with the vocal work on the tracks with lyrics as the instrumentals, but it's still a nice song with the consistent gentle flute touch that dominates the album. "Montana Rusa" is a song that kicks the album up a few notches with a kickin beat and festive feel before "Butta Fingas" comes on with a classic gradual build-up (Don't know what to call it in musical terms). "Go Bianco!" is one of my favorite tracks on this althoguh I don't care too much for the intro. The guitar on it is consistent and you can't help but try your hardest to find a way to put it into any rotation. Meanwhile "Mi Amor Es" ended up being the most popular track on this cd in large part thanks to WaiWan's remix. But I like the original - the music is more mysterious although the vocals are incredibly basic.

I highly recommend this album - I still love it. The musiciansion is great and they had a nice ride. Actually, you can still see cuts from this popping up on random nu-bossa compilations like Brazilian Love Affair, Brazilectro, Brazilutin, etc. even though this really isn't pure Brasil oriented. But I still remember when I got this; it was around the same time that I picked up albums by Soulstance and Reminiscence Quartet. Those are two groups that I would HIGHLY recommend if you did enjoy this. For Soulstance check out their first two albums (Act On! and En Route) and Reminiscence Quartet's "More Psycodelico". You may also like Batidos album titled "Olajope", which is somewhat similar but with a more latin-house vibe to it. Good luck finding this one though outside of online traders... it's already far more pricey than it was 4 years ago.