Big Earl Sellar wrote this review.
The Carribean dance music styles seem to be in vogue right now, from older Cuban styles to more modern Latino intrepretations of other Western styles. As this market has picked up, there’s been a flood of recordings from artists from the area, and Central and South America. This is Cuban singer Mindelo’s third disc for Lusafrica. How well does this fit into the current glut?
Frankly, pretty well. Fantcha is very much in the “torch” mode of Cuban music: the sort of musical style designed to appeal to gringo tourists. Very influenced by the big band style of the 1940s American scene, this disc is heavy on orchestrations, aching melodies, and soft samba tempos.
Mindello has a decent voice, not very broad in range, but perfect for this type of music. Her voice is drenched with emotion, like on the slow “Amiga,” where you can hear her on the edge of tears. Over the tango-ish “Nha Coraçon,” Mindelo’s delivery alternates between straightforeword and sultry. The more modern sounding “Manuel Pescador,” with its jazzy ensemble playing, proves that she can tackle more than one genre with her voice.
Her voice, however, is somewhat buried in the mix. And, while the band is fine, it is a tad pedestrian. It would be interesting to hear her in a smaller setting, say, a piano and bass duo, even for a couple of cuts. The songs are fairly interchangeable with much that’s out there from the Carribean right now, and thus this disc offers only a little better than average fare for the listener. Fantcha does seem to be a bit better organised than some offerings of late, actually sounding like a cohesive band with singer, as opposed to a bunch of session musicians playing from charts. So, while the music on this disc isn’t particularly groundbreaking, it does groove a lot smoother than most out there currently.
If you can’t get enough samba, then Fantcha is a nice addition to your collection. Although I’d really like to her her vocals more clearly, Mindelo has a good voice, her songs a decent groove, and the overall atmosphere smacks of a Havana nightclub. An acceptable dance disc.
(Lusafrica, 2000)
