Meridian Brothers - ¿Dónde estás María?

The Guardian 80

(Soundway Records)

When they play live, Meridian Brothers are a five-piece. But in the studio, just one man creates their distinctive sound. Based in Bogotá, Colombia, Eblis Álvarez is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and singer with a highly personal take on the Latin music scene. He describes this easy-going, quirky set as “a kind of journey from Argentina through to Mexico”, and he uses the varied rhythms of Latin America as a starting point. There’s everything here from cumbia to reggaeton and Andean huaynos, in an ever-changing fusion in which the insistent percussion is matched against electronica, guitars and the unlikely addition of strings, with prominent use of cello. His vocal work may be nothing remarkable, but from the slinky opening title track to the driving Cumbia, Eres La Cumbia, this is an album that succeeds because it’s tuneful, clever and enormous fun.