Album Review by EDF
Orishas are a quartet based in Paris. What we have is a mix of Franco-Latin hip-hop rap and salsa.
Originally from Havana, Orishas, a name used for the Gods of Santeria, which is an Afro-Cuban religion, have created a style that interestingly mixes French and Spanish into the lyrics. Taking hip-hop and rap and fusing them with Cuban melodies, this fusion is for the most part quite successful.
While all the ingredients are there for a typical Cuban sound, trumpets included, and even with the hip-hop beats influencing this album throughout, this is done by numbers. Sometimes it gets a bit repetitive.
Unfortunately as the lyrics are in two languages, it also makes it hard for those who are not well versed in Spanish or Italian to really grasp what the tracks are about especially when it comes to the rap segment.
But saying that there is something classy about this album. This is more in the Fun Lovin’ Criminals style of things than, just say, Ricky Martin. Orishas have done something refreshing to a genre of music, hopefully others will follow suit.
