"There is probably no other band around, that is able to connect
Latin-American and Mediterranian rhythm with Rock in such a perfect way.."
(Stuttgarter Zeitung - local press review)
English and Spanish - the global language in popular music - and not
just since Latin, Salsa and Socca have been celebrating their
resurrection. Agua Loca master both in perfection. Even during the
times while Peter Schick (bandleader and guitar player) was bound more
to Blues and Rock, they were already singing bilingual.
Back then, Peter Schick prefered to play Rock riffs on his electric
guitar, which he still does in tracks such as the soul-ballad "Love
Will Come". Now-a-days he often exchanges these passages with his
acoustic guitar, just as he prefered to do in his duo project Sol 10
years ago. Even back then, Carlos Santana was one of his greatest
idols and just like him, Peter Schick always liked to go two ways: the
electric, harsh energetic Rock, the melody and vitality and the smooth
and elusive groove of the Latin sound.
The new album is by far, the best fusion of Flamenco, Reggae, Salsa,
Socca and traces of Rock on a Blues basis. It was an absolute "must"
to put Peter Green's "Black Magic Woman" on the album, naturally
playing it in Agua Loca style - a sound of strong modernized rhythm,
in which the instrumentalist Schick and Uli Frank (keyboards)
interpret the original with their own personal touch. It's not Carlos
Santana, that swings the guitar here, but Peter Schick - "Germany's
best Santana" - as critics have written. Thus the album is not just an
example of Crossover, it is also the sounding evidence, that Agua Loca
have developed their own style. It's also danceable, with grooves
easily spun around - just the way it sounds, when top musicians, such
as Lenny Mac Dowell on flute or Birgit van Straelen on percussion play
easy sounding tunes professionally. The album is definitely an
up-to-date production - modern sequences compliment ecstatic
hand-clapping, rap artist (Jason Funky Dregz) takes over the singing
from Ryno and Gina Regina after they show their bilingual soul power
in songs like "Love Will Come" or "Feeling Good". Castanet-Pop in
"Islands Of Spain" and "La Plazuela" are discharged by the radio mix
"Venga Tia Mia" - a simple and earwiggy song with rap-parts to it. The
continuous specialty of the album is, the complex rhythms and
stratified arrangements and the knowledge of a music, that is simple
and danceable and completely "Un Poco Loco" - a little bit crazy - in
English or Spanish.
Michael Riediger - October 2002
Poco Loco Flyer - Blue Flame Records
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