CINTRON
Back In the Day
Camjam Records
Put Cintron’s third CD, Back in
the Day, in your CD player, and you are instantly transported
away from wherever you are to the golden beaches and deep
blue waters of San Juan by way of Southern California all
the way across this nation to the Latin neighborhoods of
New York and New Jersey in the early 1970s. At this time
musical barriers became paper thin, and there was a lot
of cross-pollination. Soul and R&B mixed freely with
Latin musical styles like boogaloo and were further combined
with jazz and rock music. Back in the Day recalls
the street corner 4-part harmony groups as well as salsa
and true (must we call it ‘old school’? Some
of us think of it as the only school) R&B. These guys
have a real sense of history and they show their love and
respect for all the music they play. They cover the Gamble
and Huff song “Expressway to Your Heart,” insinuating
Latin elements into the song rather than imposing a whole
new rhythm on it, and they bring original Soul Survivor
members Charlie and Richie Ingui in to sing it! That Philly
soul mixes soooo smoothly with the Latin sound that, as
with a chi-chi cocktail with a tiny umbrella in it, you
are intoxicated before you even realize you’ve had
a drink. Joe “Stretch” Vinson spins out a wickedly
distorted guitar solo right before the thing heads into
the final chorus that is completely outta control.
Back in the Day begins with a cover
of Malo’s 1972 hit “Suavecito.” Malo’s
lead singer, Arcelio Garcia, was born in Puerto Rico but
moved to San Francisco at an early age. Citron’s Edgardo
Cintron is a second generation Puerto Rican whose father,
Pablo Cintron, was a guitarist the U.S. military band. Edgardo,
a legendary percussionist, has played with Stevie Wonder,
David Bowie, and the Funk Brothers. So the Puerto Rican
influence is front and center, intertwined with the soul
of a major U.S. city, be it New York, Philly, or L.A. In
45 minutes, Cintron takes you to so many musical destinations
that it’s difficult not to feel like a glutton for
taking it all in at one time. “In My Heart”
features Chicago native Naked Soul member Jayar as the top
layer on some incredible vocal harmonies. “Hey There
Lonely Girl” was first done by Ruby and the Romantics,
but Eddie Holman’s version was the hit. Later pop
music boy band New Edition also had a hit with the song.
Cintron’s version features some nice horn section
work, and I have to say that the baritone sax work, both
here and at other points on the album, is really great to
hear.
The group can also handle glossy, sophisticated
late-nite soul salsa without any problem, as they demonstrate
on the original instrumental, “Another Night In San
Juan.” The complete majesty of this 15-piece outfit,
as a band, becomes readily apparent here, and you’ll
find yourself having to go back and re-listen to some of
the vocal tracks, this time listening specifically to the
band playing behind the vocalists. The band not only seamlessly
blends Latin soul, R&B, and rock, but also manages to
recall the powerhouse brass rock sounds of bands like Blood,
Sweat & Tears.
Another band that injected a Latin sensibility
into an R&B/rock environment was War, and Cintron covers
that group’s hit “All Day Music” here,
instantly creating an aural summer day that makes listeners
feel like they’re driving around the neighborhood
with the radio blasting and the windows wide open (or maybe
the top down). Good feelings are what Cintron brings to
the party, and who can argue with that?
