Las Rubias Del Norte, Rumba Internationale (Barbes, 2004)
Las Rubias Del Norte is a Brooklyn-based combo that sings a little bit of this, a little bit of that, all of it with a Latin beat, and with sweet, sweet harmonies. The name, of course, is a bit of a joke; there are lots of Mexican bands calling themselves things like "Los Tigres Del Norte," but these rubias (blondes) are from way up north in Nueva York.
Their music is fun, but not a joke. They cover standards of the Cuban and Mexican repertoires, some Latin-flavored international hits, a little bit of classical and a cowboy song for good measure. It's a sort-of international greatest hits!
The opener is the lovely confection, the Cuban-style rumba, "Rumba Internationale," by the great Cuban artist Margarita Lecuona. Right off the bat, the sinuous harmonies of Emily Hurst and Allyssa Lamb grab your attention. Likewise with the languidly sexy "Amorosa Guajira," by the Cuban pianist and composer Gonzalez Allue. The band enters even more popular realms with covers of "Perfidia," a well-known bolero by Alberto Dominguez; and "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas," a Spanish-language version of Doris Day's hit "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps." On Perfidia, they add Alison Young for three-part harmonies, and on "Quizas" band member Olivier Conan, who plays cuatro, sings the lead on the verses, with the women taking the chorus. Conan's vocals are deep and sexy in a Latin way, but he's not a very distinctive singer.
Rounding out the Latino section of the program are "Que Nadie Sepa Mi Sufrir," a very popular Mexican waltz, and "Piel Canela (Cinnamon Skin)," a lively cha-cha that ends the disc on an up note.
Adding some gravitas to the disc is Mozart's "Confutatis," from his Requiem, sung as a two-part round. In Latin, no less. A surprising high point is Bob Nolan's "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." It shouldn't work in the midst of a disc of Cuban and Mexican songs, but it does, largely because of the skillful three-part harmonies.The harmonies are indeed lovely throughout, although the singing could be a little less restrained. On the one hand, the performance is charmingly intimate, rather than hidden behind a patina of professionalism; on the other, the music doesn't always have the kind of forward motion that's needed to compel the listener's participation. Still, this disc is great fun, and it's hard to beat such sweet harmony.
