Corrientes
(Alt/Latin/Rock, New York)
Review of "Breathe/Respira"
By Angus Maiden
December 2009
I was in a chatroom with Ivette Torres, aka EV, singer, multi-instrumentalist and sound
engineer of Corrientes fame. The chat room is part of a weekly show called Neon Beatz,
where you can listen to a stream of independent music and chat to the listeners,
who are often the artists. A song of theirs came on and someone said EV had a
“smiley voice”. I think this is the perfect way to describe her voice. It is just so un-
believably uplifting, fun
and beaming.
EV sings in both Spanish and English, and this latest album is a lot more Spanish-
orientated, which seems to lend itself naturally to “smiley voices." The syllables roll
off her tongue like crystal clear water in a fountain, exuberant and bubbly, accom-
panied for the first time (on a recording) by a full live band. I understand they went
through a few drummers before settling on the current one, and he’s a good choice - a cowbell here and there, just the right amount of hi-hat and snare, very jazzy and upbeat - altogether very suited to the whole “Latin feel” of the band. Also a first for a recorded album of this amazing New York City band is electric lead guitar, playing Santana-esque lines sporadically yet appropriately. The whole feel of this album is of delicacy and subtlety. The bass sits low in the mix yet moves around, you can forget it’s there if you stop listening to it yet it is the cornerstone of the chord progressions, strummed on a bright guitar by the lovely EV herself.
Mixing a project like this is a hard task: lots of drum mic-ing and many different frequencies competing for space. Yet in the hands of EV, who has mixed and produced all of Corrientes’ albums at her home studio, it sounds absolutely mint.
There have always been two aspects to Corrientes; their live performances, featuring less instrumentation and more intimate, acoustic sort of stuff, and their studio albums which have often involved a hefty electronic element to it. Breathe/Respira manages to combine the crystal clarity of professional digital mixing with that intimate live feel to produce a very pleasant album. I had never heard much Spanish/Latin music until I heard Corrientes, and was immediately delighted. It’s unfamiliar territory for an Australian but I understand it’s quite prevalent in America. Whether you’re a newcomer to the soulful upbeat sounds of Latin American music or are sick to death of hearing it, I would recommend this album either way. It’s top notch, refreshing and joyous.
I can be quoted regarding Corrientes’ January ’09 album Underlying Truth that “I don’t need to hear anything else in 2009 to say that this is the best album of the year.” And it still holds true. There are no electronics in Breathe/Respira and it’s something that seems missing, making Underlying Truth a better album in my opinion (full review of that one coming up); but it’s a new approach for the band, they’ve found members that they like and are sticking with, that form a cohesive “live entity”, and it is also the first time that they’ve decided to branch out and sell their music.
For a band that has consistently delivered professional, excellently produced, highly creative, and inspiring material for free, they deserve a quick visit to the online store for this album.
EV has also provided some more tasty information regarding the mixing of the album, as well as lyrics...
You can see the info about the recording here:
www.corrientesmusic.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=356
Lyrics here:
www.corrientesmusic.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=363
And you can listen to EV speaking about the recording on Mixposure’s Center Stage Presentation here:
www2.mixposure.com/MixRadio_CenterStage/song_focus_13632.php
Smiley music to make you smile. Get it.
Related links;
"Whether you’re a newcomer to the soulful upbeat sounds of Latin American music or are sick to death of hearing it, I would recommend this album either way. " -Angus Maiden
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