Una y Otra Vez

Album Review

It's been a long time — five years, in fact — since the last release from France's Sergent Garcia. Back then their mix of salsa and Jamaican music was right on the cutting edge. Since then the sounds have had a chance to catch up with them. But by throwing Colombian cumbia into the blender and upping the punk and hip-hop factors, they're definitely still at the head of the bunch here. It is, to all intents and purposes, a Latin album with some rocketing rhythms, made for the dancefloor. Keeping still while it's on simply isn't an option. It's relentless and insistent, working its way lyrically through Spanish, some French, and even a little English, enough to justifiably claim international status. The songwriting is as powerful as ever, hardly surprising since they've had so long to craft the material, but it's exceptionally punchy, with strong production to match. Put quite simply, this might be the best thing they've ever done, taking their salsamuffin even deeper into Latin/Caribbean culture. Given their track record, that's really saying something.