New York City-based 6-member Si Se made a splash 5 years ago with their debut album and were able to count Talking Heads' David Byrne as one of their fans (so much so, he signed them to his label). They were heralded as one of the important purveyors of the emerging Latin electronica phenomenon but quickly became a victim of record company restructuring and put offs. The group finally signed to Fuerte and this month are releasing their second album, More Shine, produced by Bonzai (best known for his recent work with Damian Marley).
What it is: slick vocal pop with world flavors here and there, reminding the listener of Dido, St. Germain, Everything But the Girl and Los Aterciopelados. There's sluggish ballads ("Wanna Know,""More Shine"), jazzy alternating rhythm builders ("Amiga"), reggae wanderers ("Changes"), cliché disco ("Karma") and Afro-Cuban and bossa nova shuffles ("Mariposa En Havana," "Brazillian"). Of the instrumentation that ranges from utilizing traditional percussion to standard electronic beeps, clean guitars and busy violas rule the disk, the latter often stealing the show even from the vocals.
What I think: at first listen More Shine came off as dull and hard to tell one track from another. And after several listens, some of the tracks do distinguish themselves as good, strong and jazzy pop, particularly "Sometimes" and "Noche Azul."
