Aterciopelados – Oye
Aterciopelados has been rocking Colombia and the Latin pop/rock world since 1992. Oye, their first studio album in five years, reunites Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago in an album that continues to explore musical boundries. Unlike their last CD, Gozo Poderoso, Oye focuses more on live, native instrumentation combined with contemporary rock elements,creating an interesting and compelling Colombian/rock fusion.
Last year the musical grapevine was abuzz with rumors of an Aterciopelados split. Lead singer Andrea Echeverri was busy promoting her self-titled album, a paeon to motherhood, while co-founder and partner Hector Buitrago released his first solo album Conector.
But a closer look demonstrates that the split was just a silly smokescreen; Echeverri and Buitrago played active roles in each other’s albums and with Oye it’s clear that the partners have never stopped working and evolving together.
Arterciopelados has never been satisfied doing the same old thing, moving through hard rock, punk rock and hip-hop with subsequent albums. They actually seem to move through different musical modes in the album itself. The first half of Oye is more contemporary, more pop than rock with tracks like “Complemento” and “Don Dinero”,the latter a catchy diatribe on materialism, and two of the breakout numbers from the album.
The second half of the album changes course, as we move into the heartland with indigenous Colombian instruments taking the foreground. “Paces” is a track that really caught my ear with an earthy tonal color that really highlights Echeverri’s unique voice. “Majestad” follows, a chant-like drone that causes the imagination to conjure a gold-gilded, royal procession.
The album may be a disappointment for fans looking for more of the contemporary, electronic sensibility of Gozo Poderoso. But most fans will find the new direction a winner.