Canto

Los Super Seven

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 13, 2001)
• Original Release Date: February 13, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00005A7IR
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,524 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Formed in 1998 as a loose collective of (mostly) Texas musicians with a love for traditional Mexican melodies, Los Super Seven took exactly one week to produce a self-titled debut that was an offhand marvel of norteño tradition and intimacy. Three years later, four of the original members--including David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos--return for Canto, but their musical ambitions have broadened from Tex-Mex house party to pan-Latin musical summit. Boasting guest appearances by Brazilian tropicalismo heavyweight Caetano Veloso, Los Angeles-based Cuban pianist Albert Salas, and Peruvian diva Susana Baca, Canto features some of the old-world romantic charm of Buena Vista Social Club (listen, in particular, to Raul Malo croon the album-opening "Siboney"), but the CD doesn't shy away from the subtler, breathier charms of Veloso or Baca's sophisticated Afro-Latin pop on "Drumi Drumi Mobila." Canto reaches its pinnacle on "Teresa," a Hildalgo-sung gem that mixes the rock experimentalism of Los Lobos with the percussive piano attack of Salas and a complex undertow of polyrhythms. At times like these, Canto sounds both like a logical extension of Ry Cooder's multimedia global juggernaut, and a not-so-subtle reminder that new musical traditions are often carved out by ignoring geographic boundaries. --Keith Moerer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BVSC meets Los Lobos in Brazil, March 28, 2001

By	Enrique Torres "Rico" (San Diegotitlan, Califas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Buyers take note, this is not "Los Super Seven" as you remember them from the Grammy winner from'98. This is more like "Los Supers" with the addition of such notables as Susanna Baca, Rick Trevino, Ruben Ramos, Caetano Veloso, Raul Malo and NUMEROUS others. Gone is the Tex-Mex flavor of Los Super Seven, replaced by a collection of songs that fill into the world music category with much diversity including Caetano Veloso taking over in Portuguese for one fourth of the album. Susana Baca performs a heartfelt number entitled "Drumi Mobila" which has lullabye folkloric qualities in Spanish? Is this bad? Not really but it is such a departure from the the original Super Seven CD that it is worth taking note before buying. The songs have an old world flavor ala BVSC. IMO the best songs are those that remain closest to the original where Hidalgo, Rosas or Trevino take the musical lead, translation, an extension of Los Lobos/Tex-Mex. The cohesiveness is lacking because of the different musical styles and the result might better be suited for a compilation. It comes across sounding like one of those music from the four corners of the world albums. The music itself is very good, excellent musicians all lending their talents to reflect the diversity of "Canto." Recommended for those fans of world music beyond the southwest.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A huge surprise, March 23, 2001

By	Sabrina "soyarra" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

I've never been a Los Lobos fan, although I did admire (and buy) "Kiko," mainly because I was a gigantic Crowded House fan at the time and it was produced by CH producer Mitchell Froom. But this is something else altogether. I will admit I bought it because of Raul Malo and especially Caetano Veloso (godhead of Brazillian music and the sweetest voice on earth next to Green Gartside of Scritti Politti), and they do not disappoint -- Malo's "Siboney" and "Me Voy Pa'l Pueblo" showcase his amazing range and emotion, and Veloso's "Qualquer Coisa" is breathtaking, as usual. But Rick Trevino's amazing vocal turn on the Cuban chestnut "El Que Siembra Su Maiz" is worth the price of the entire CD. Who IS this guy, anyway!? As my grandpa used to say, ay chimales. This CD was a terrific idea, executed with love and precision, which makes for that rarest of things: a CD you actually listen to all the way through.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars charming music, different styles, May 31, 2001

By	V. S. Sheridan (Coronado, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was drawn to this CD by the first track, "Siboney", an old standard by Cuban songwriter Ernesto Lecuona, given a beautifully raw and plaintive a capella rendition by Raul Malo. The other songs are delightful in different ways, though they are not all to my taste. Each of the seven artists here seems to have contributed some of his/her own songs, with a minimum of collaboration. Therefore there is a mix of styles and languages. What is uniform is a warmth and love of the music that comes through in each song.