Posted on 06/16/2008
“Music is a world within itself,” a blind man once sang in the key of life. “It’s a language we all understand.” Despite completing three years of high school Spanish with nearly satisfactory marks, I am barely equipped to understand one word on Sonidos Gold, the latest release from Austin’s Latin funk outfit, Grupo Fantasma. But, I know a groove when I hear one, and this album packs them in like a Goodyear tire. I also know the sound of tight band, playing in taut synchronization, yet readily able to spice things up with fearless forays into improvisation, and the Fantasma fellas fit that bill to a a tee. Most importantly, I have a finely honed appreciation for a shapely chica shaking her hips on the dance floor, and this CD has the goods to inspire just that.

Grupo Fantasma has built a rep for setting stages en fuego, having rocked numerous music festivals, and even performing with Prince at the CBS Superbowl Bash in 2007. But, unlike many jam bands, Fantasma has no problem crafting structured songs in the studio, without losing their free-wheeling spontaneity. “Gimme Some” brings to mind vintage War with its mix of breezy Latin keys and a thick funk bassline, while “Bacalao Can Pan” plays like the musical love child of Santana and Funkadelic. Yet, the true attraction here is the inspired instrumentation of the band itself. The keys and guitars move the mood from raw, to playful, to psychedelic, while explosive drum breaks cascade from the speakers, practically begging to be sampled by an industrious beat maker.

True, a few of the songs might fit onto the playlist of a Tex-Mex restaurant a little too easily for purist tastes. To the band’s credit, even those tracks bring to mind a locally owned cantina with at least a surface authenticity, more than the garish national chains, trafficking in cartoonish stereotypes and brightly colored booze. If you’re looking to go on a funk-fueled journey through the southwest, or simply want to diversify your ipod, you would be well served to go prospecting for Sonidos Gold. You can feel it all over, people!

- Jeff Harvey