GRUPO FANTASMA
Sonidos Gold
(Aire Sol/ High Wire Music)
By Todd Lavoie
Freshly sparkled with Prince’s glittering purple seal of approval, Austin’s tireless Latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma pushes onward with their crowd-amassing trajectory on Sonidos Gold, a floor-burning 12-track collection of hip-shakers and provocative grooves.
Having recently enjoyed a much-deserved surge of international exposure – thanks largely to Prince’s ringing endorsement and the high-profile supporting-band gigs that followed – the 10-member soul machine arrives more confident than ever on this, their fourth album. The disc might also be the most faithful in capturing the joyous, body-liberating ebullience of the band’s live performances. (And while we’re on the subject of their shows: You must see them, case closed. I caught Grupo with a former Austinite friend at Slim’s here back in February, and they were complete and utter sweat-soaking bliss.)
Sonidos Gold exudes plenty of room-filling warmth, and guitarist Adrian Quesada’s production plunks the listener directly on the dancefloor, right in the sweet spot between the hot-pepper horn section and the mighty rumble of congas and timbales. While I’m sure these folks picked up some tricks from Prince on the road, I’m beginning to wonder if maybe the Purple One himself might be taking a few notes as well…