The Lowdown
Sergent Garcia is a global phenomenon who has not gained nearly as much traction in the US as he really should have by now, but I suspect that'll change once Una Y Otra Vez starts making the rounds. A perfect addition to any global music fan's summer soundtrack, this record is rooted in the modern sounds of Colombian music (and features a myriad of Colombian guests, including La-33, Bomba Estereo's Liliana Saumet, Erika Munoz of Sidestepper, and Jacobo Velez from La Mojarra Electrica), but bears the unmistakable stamp of Garcia's fearless genre-bending, and everything from French hip-hop to salsa to reggae are present and accounted for.
What Does the Music of the Future Really Sound Like?
One of the things that really appeals to me about Sergent Garcia (as well as other players in the non-genre that is global/reggae/salsa/pop/rock, like Manu Chao) is the way they are just so effortlessly global - multilingual, multicultural, multisonic. In both Garcia and Chao's case, being Spanish-born, Paris-raised, and exposed to international communities from childhood, it's understandable that they might just not see the lines that the rest of us draw around our worlds (or they can ignore them more easily, at least), and as the global community becomes more and more interwoven, this boundary-free music becomes even more relevant. But all academic globalism aside, it also really just sounds good. It's the right combination of light and heavy, political and party-driven, and you can dance to it.
Standout Tracks on 'Una Y Otra Vez'
Standout tracks on Una Y Otra Vez include the hip-shaking, horn-driven opener and title track (Listen/Download), the punky, sexy cumbia-ish "Mi Son Mi Friend" (Listen/Download), the hip-hoppy "El Baile del Diablo" (Listen/Download) and, well, the rest of them. Do yourself a favor and get yourself the whole disc. It'll be one of your best summer investments.
Una Y Otra Vez was released on May 17, 2011 on Cumbancha Records. Total Tracks: 14. Total Playing Time: 57 Minutes.
