Search - Sergent Garcia :: La Semilla Eescondida

My favorite album of 2003

Lewis Shiner | 03/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this album in Paris last October and it's barely been out of my boom box since then. Following in the footsteps of Manu Chao, Garcia has taken himself to unforeseen heights here. Like Chao, Bruno "Sergent" Garcia is French-born of Spanish parents, and he's staked out a piece of territory halfway between Jamaica and Cuba, with major influences from Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. There are no Latin cuts here that aren't at least a little reggae, and no reggae cuts that aren't at least a little Latin. The fusion is seamless, the energy high, the melodies irresistible, the musicianship impeccable, and the guest stars impressive. Parts of the album were recorded in Cuba and Jamaica--ex-Wailers keyboardist Tyrone Downie fully brings the Wailers sound to "Mi Ultima Voluntad" and "Poetas," and the Cubans shine especially brightly on "El Regreso.""

"Salsamuffin" makes great raod music.

David J. Gannon | San Antonio, TX USA | 05/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not really too much of a salsa or reggae fan. I bought this album after hearing a story about "salsamuffin" and Mr. Garcia on NPR. I thought his story was interesting and the snippets of music that were presented were quite appealing. The whole concept of "salsamuffin" as presented by Mr. Garcia was intriguing. I'm hooked. This is a pleasant and energetic hybrid of Caribbean, African, reggae and salsa music that is infectious. The songs all have high energy, a nice emotive quality and a high level of musicianship. The production values are better than I expected, given that Mr. Garcia is based out of Havana and one presumes that he's not using state-of-the art equipment on the recording side.This album has retained a more-or-less permanent place in my car CD player. It's a great road album!Highly recommended!"

Salsa with French Dressing

Joanna Daneman | Middletown, DE USA | 03/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Shakti label from Narada Music is one of my favorites for introducing me to new World artists. Now they've introduced "Sergent Garcia" (yeah, that Sergent Garcia! The one named after the guy in the red sash, nemesis of Zorro, who inspired Schultz on "Hogan's Heroes"!)This Sergent Garcia is no bumbler. The music is called "salsamuffin" and described as " Jamaican, Cuban, and African music [blended] into salsified hip-hop." I think it also has more than just a touch of Reggae in the spicy blend. And some of the cuts on the CD are sung in gutteral, Colonial French. French Salsa? It's funny and happy and well, this is a great party CD. It's rather hard to describe, so listen to samples and see what you think. I adored it."