LEGADO VAN VAN is het 2018 album van Los Van Van uit Cuba, nu ook in Nederland verkrijgbaar, maar very LIMITED, beperkte voorraad!
Llega finalmente el disco mas esperado, "Legado" el nuevo disco de Los Van Van, el primero en absoluto el primero sin la mano de Juan Formell.
14 tracks - 3 are remakes of Juan Formell songs "Amiga mía", "Te extraño" and "Pa qué lo haces". The rest are all composed by the current band members and one is a collaboration between Boris Luna (keyboards) and Juan Ballestero
Vanessa Formell has replaced Yeni Valdés who moved to California to live with her husband. And the other singers are the same: Roberto "Robertón" Hernández, Abdel "Lele" Rasalps, and Armando "Mandy" Cantero.
2. Vamos a Pasarla Bien (4:40)
4. Culpable de Nada (4:41)
9. Por Qué Lo Haces (4:06)
10. Yo No Soy un Mango (4:19)
11. Hecho Pa` Bailar (5:19)
12. Legado de Vida (4:44)
14. Anda, Camina Juan (5:44)
"Legado", is the follow up to the wonderful La Fantasía and the second CD of Los Van Van without Juan Formell. Clearly, the band is in transition trying to a find balance between their past and their present.
Samuel Formell has stated that he wanted to keep the sound of Los Van Van intact, so it`s not surprising that in some numbers, they sound dated, stagnant and a step slower than some of the other popular bands in Cuba. Also, incorporating Vanessa Formell (she replaced Yenny Valdés) into the band, seems an emotional move.
With that said, Los Van Van compositions still stand above the rest. The way they build a song is unmatched. Listen to how "Hecho pa` bailar" (written by Robertón) and "Amiga mía" (old song from the album "Eso que anda" from 1986 written by Juan and sung by Mario "Mayito El Flaco" Valdes - thanks Georgie y Juan P), grow by the second. Mandy Cantero`s passionate vocals and guapería on both songs transport you to another place.
The Songo beat created by Juan (combination of Cuban rhythms with Rap, Merengue, Bossa Nova and everything in between), is intoxicating. When "El Tren" locks into a groove, no one can touch them. Such is the case on the party anthem fusion, "Anda, camina Juan". Robertón (who also wrote it) shines on this track, making this Conga Comparsa Funk the highlight of this recording.
It took Elito Revé a few years after his father passed away to make El Charangón what they are today. I`m sure it`s going to take Samuel some time to find the right combination to freshen up the sound, or perhaps, this is the groove he is comfortable with. Either way, it`s a journey we are all going to be watching.(review by Salsapower)
Samuel Formell - Drums, director, composer, producer, arranger
Armando "Mandy" Cantero, Roberto "Robertón" Hernández - Singers, composers
Abdel "Lele" Rasalps - Singer, composer
Juan Carlos Formell - Bass
Hugo Morejón, Alvaro Collado, Edmundo Piña - Trombones
Irving Frontela - Violins
Jorge Leliebre - Flute, composer, arranger, producer
Boris Luna - Keyboards, composer, producer, arranger
Juan Ballestero, Alberto Alberto - Composers
Efraín Chibas - Producer, arranger