Siembra

Willie Colón & Ruben Blades | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: March 14, 2006
• Label: Fania Records
• Copyright: (c) 2006 Emusica Records, LLC
• Total Length: 42:45
• Genres: International/Latin Music
• ASIN: B000V8MRZ2
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of latin music's most important recording!, May 24, 2006

By 

coa1881 "SALSERO SUPREME" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Siembra (Audio CD)

This is the new remastered edition of this classic Willie Colon recording featuring Ruben Blades on vocals. The lyrical aspect of this recording has been covered elsewhere so I'm not going to dwell on it besides metioning that most of the lyrics deal with the political reality of the "latino everyman."
The reissue has all the original cover art and an appropiate essay covering the significance of this recording. The only drawback is that it didn't include the lyric sheet or additional tracks. I'm sure that someone, somewhere has to have outakes from these sessions. Maybe these things will come as a part of a box set of another "commemorative" edition once everyone involved "gets paid."
Otherwise, the sound is louder, more focused and a bit cleaner. But again as with some of these new Fania remasters, the top end is rounded off to eliminate hiss. I find that bothersome, but I'm just being picky.

Buy it!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The standard by which ALL Latino music should be measured!, April 9, 2007

By 

Speratus "True knowledge exists in knowing th... (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Siembra (Audio CD)

Though I grew up on the Lower east side of Manhattan I was never much into Latin music or Salsa. My brother however is a fanatic and gave me this album (yes vinyl) back in 1979 with a dedication in Spanish from Ruben Blades! Needless to say this has become an heirloom.

As for the music, upon hearing the songs I was instantly struck by the fact that this did not sound like any other latin music I'd ever heard. The Lyrics were meaningful, uplifting, exhorting! The masterful compositions infused with Willie Colon's breathtaking orchestration whisked me away to musical bliss. Siembra accomplishes the impossible by making EVERY song dance-able yet introspective. The thought provoking lyrics will have you rethinking your role as a Latino, while simultaneously tapping your feet.

There is no filler on Siembra; not one bad song to be heard. My 15 year old just listened recently and was blown away, a testament to this true Masterpiece that will live on as the benchmark by which other Latin music will be judged.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important latin recordings of all time!, October 31, 2005

By 

coa1881 "SALSERO SUPREME" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Siembra (Audio CD)

This is the jewel of the Willie Colon catalogue. With songs that are politically charged and so well crafted, this album is the summation of the Colon-Blades recordings. Most of these tracks were hits when released. The best track, in my humble opinion, is the haunting "Dime."
The personnel included among others, Sal Cuevas on bass, Willie Colon on bass trumpet and Eddie Montalvo on congas, Jose Rodrigues, Papo Vasquez, Leopoldo Pineda on slide t-bones.
By far, this was Willie's best band. They were tight, and also well produced and recorded.
The only critique is the remastering. Although better than most of the Fania reissues, the sound could have been truly enhanced to faithfully reproduce the warmth and detail of the original lp.
Besides that point, this album should belong in any music lover's collection. It's a classic!