RubA©n Blades & Seis del Solar - Buscando AmA©rica

Ruben Blades and the innovative group Seis del Solar delivered something very special with this album. The spirit of Buscando America ("Looking for America") is defined by a restless, searching attitude and a willingness to struggle with deep issues and to confront painful parts of life with strength and resolve. This is a groundbreaking work that adapts global influences, such as the doo-wop intro to "Decisiones" and the reggae underpinnings of "Desapariciones," into a cohesive and powerful musical vision of what Latin American music can be. It engages the mind, touches the heart, and definitely provokes the dancing feet. Even if you don't understand Spanish, the vocals will grab you, and before they let you go, you just might find yourself inspired to learn the language so that you can understand Blades's profound poetry. --Jeff Grubb Amazon.com

Ruben Blades is a master!

This is a must for any Ruben Blades fan! Every track is fantastic! The lyrics give you goose bumps! Just like you remember from 20+ years ago. It takes you home. ITunes only has a few tracks available, not the whole album, so get the CD while you can. December 23, 2007

Para el hombre de Miami que no sabe de que habla

Rubén no es un hombre de boca nada más como el tipo este aclara. Un ejemplo de sus acciones lo son su lucha por sacar la marina estadounidense de Vieques P.R.. Otro ejemplo es, el cancelar sus presentaciones por asistir al entierro de Tite Curet. Sabes quien fue Tite? No pero sabes quien fue Celia Y Gloria Estefan. Supiste que Rubén tambien tocó en una carcel de Puerto Rico con Bobby Valentín. Mi hermano, Rubén ha realizado dos conciertos en P.R. con Willie Colón, a los cuales he asistido. Así que Rubén Blades no es un hombre para bochinchar sobre el, sino para seguirlo en su rumbo. "Usa la conciencia latino, no la dejes que se te duerma, no la dejes que muera" Todos los discos de Rubén valen la pena. Pero si quieren saber mas sobre la maestría de Rubén y Willie deberian comprar los dos discos de Maetra Vida April 1, 2004

Viva Panama!

Y'know, I was fortunate enough to visit Panama for my Honeymoon. We vacationed for about 3 weeks throughout this luscious isthmian oasis.

My (now) ex-wife is from Da Bronx NY via Colon, Panama.
I was completely in-love w/ her... and Oh, what a knockout!
So it's no surprise that I became deeply interested (and ultimately patriotic) with her homeland.
I was THE honorary (gringo) Panamanian for awhile>ha! ha!
It's a truly beautiful country and they've offered so much to this planet's growth & progress on many levels.
For hours at a time, she & I would listen to old Fania records together... Of course she loves Ruben!

I must also mention how my Dad turned me onto Mr. Blades back in the day. As a young musician, he directed me towards the intricate (yet flowing) arrangements, cascading (yet memorable) melodies and very thoughtful (and politically right-down-my-alley) lyrics of Ruben & his worthy constituents.
Alone one night in NYC, when dashing back to the bar at a Gilberto Gil concert, I ran into Ruben. He was simply sitting there talking to a few friends. I was nervous, yet poised to talk to him. I explained how I felt about his music and politics. We had a very cool chat...What a genuinely NICE GUY!!! :-) Feeling guilty, I got his autograph for my (then) wife. She was pretty envious of my experience.

Now, I know what y'all are thinking --
There isn't a whole lotta continuity in this post of mine. But hey, I'm just reflecting on some vivid thoughts. Memories of a man I greatly admire, whose music will forever remind me of the woman I cared so much about...
This I celebrate, singing and dancing the tears away. November 11, 2003

Brilliant except for 2 cuts

Buscando America - the title cut is just absolutely amazing. It literally brings tears to my eyes sometimes when I hear it. And I don't even speak the language. So I apologize if i'm missing some of the beauty in the lyrics. I'm coming at it purely for the music, arrangements, and emotion. The music is just brilliant and the singing is emotional and evocative. I'd probably ball like a baby if I could speak the language.

Padre Antonio Y... is a great cut as well. Some of the music (on the album) is extremely sophisticated and particularly engaging.

Cuts #2, and #3 don't really turn me on that much but all the rest are great stuff. That's the reason for the 4 stars rather than 5. But still... Highly recommended December 13, 2001

excelente

Es uno de los mejores discos que ha hecho Ruben, con una musica sublime, y letras inmejorables, cargadas de sentimiento y contenido socio-politico. Todas las canciones estan buenas, todas. En resumidas cuentas, si no tienes este disco, no eres un verdadero fan de Ruben Blades. August 28, 2001

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