MAS ALLA DEL SOL - JOAN SEBASTIAN
One of Joan Sebastian’s virtues is his capacity to convince in many regional Mexican genres. Here he returns to banda, which he romanticizes by virtue of his excellent songs. On “Sol,” the traditional brassy banda sound takes a tropical turn, while “La Medicina” is a more traditional huapango. Sebastian stretches banda’s boundaries on “En La Banca,” where the trombones interact with piano and strings for a sound that straddles two completely different genres. Despite the experimentation, “Mas Alla del Sol” is very decidedly a banda album designed for a specific audience. Those who prefer Sebastian in a different genre will enjoy bonus track “Eso y Mas,” where he sings simply with his guitar, highlighting the voice and melodic flair that make him one of Latin music’s most gifted singer/songwriters. Billboard
