Wide Horizons
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Saturday evening will kick into high gear at 6, when New York’s DLG (Dark Latin Groove)–a vocal trio that really does make pop music for the global age–takes the stage at the Petrillo Music Shell. DLG delivers a slick blend of salsa, hip-hop, funk, and reggae, but the most arresting element is the soulful slow-jam pleading of lead singer Huey Dunbar. Last year’s Swing On (Sony Tropical) has heaps of commercial savvy, weaving percussive raps through Dunbar’s energetic wailing for a successful Latino analog to the sound of mainstream black radio. It’s purely confectionary, but don’t be surprised when these heartthrobs–already a favorite on Billboard’s Latin charts–start to creep up the pop ladder as well.
I can’t say the same for Albita, who plays Petrillo at 6:15 Sunday. Few Latin artists have garnered as much mainstream attention as she has since arriving in Miami in 1993. Most of the notices have focused on nonmusical issues, some worth noting (though her image is alternately voluptuous and androgynous, she’s a steadfast feminist, employing a female music director) and some completely irrelevant (Madonna, Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, and Sylvester Stallone are fans–wow). She has a limited vocal range, her band is more exuberant than experienced, and on her most recent album, Una Mujer Como Yo (Crescent Moon/Epic), she’s gone fishing for crossover dollars by adding some tepid merengue to her repertoire. But she’s such a witty, charming performer that even if, like me, you don’t understand a thing she’s saying, it’s hard not to enjoy her live.
