CD Review: Opaluna - Susana Pineda & Luis Salcedo.

OPALUNA

Susana Pineda – vocals; Luis Salcedo – guitar; Jeff Denson – bass, percussion, backing vocals; John Santos – percussion.

(Review by Debra)

Opaluna is the eponymous first album from this young California-based vocal & guitar duo.  Their distinctive collaboration brings together jazz, Latin and a range of other traditional and contemporary music. The project was overseen by Ridgeway Arts founder & bassist Jeff Denson, who is also featured  in Instinto Ornitologico, an atmospheric jazz funk piece, and in  Does it Rain on the Moon?,  a melancholic ballad.  

Comprising predominantly original songs, sung in Spanish & English, Bridges opens the CD with a brief coastal soundscape as a prelude to a breezy acoustic samba funk.  Wayne Shorter’s Mahjong and the original Petalos showcase the fluidity & versatility of Pineda’s voice, often used instrumentally to supplement rhythmic passages, or as an additional melodic line.  Throughout the album there is a strong sense of rhythm, most evident in Baile de Opuestos (Inchworm), featuring John Santos on percussion.  Salcedo’s guitar playing encompasses traditional Latin acoustic, jazz, funk, rock &  folk.  This variety, supplemented by the selective use of electronic sounds and vocal harmonies, provides dynamic depth and adds texture to the intimate vocal-guitar combination.  An original and impressive debut. 

Available on Ridgeway Records.

Debra.