Grupo Fantasma

Sonidos Gold

High Wire Music

3.5/4

Stylistically speaking, Grupo Fantasma is a tough band to pin down. Formed in 2000 and comprised of musicians hailing from all across Latin America, this Austin-based band quickly established a reputation for incendiary live shows. Listening to their third studio LP, it’s easy to understand why, as their unique blend of cumbia, salsa, Latin jazz, funk, reggae and soul proves immensely infectious.  The opening “El Sabio Soy Yo” starts the party off in typical genre-bending fashion, with syncopated Latin percussion, blaring horns and chunky wah guitar riding atop a laconic reggae beat, with rousing vocals that reverberate with a dub-style production influence. “Arroz Con Frijoles” is one of those funky call-and-response jams designed to whip audiences into a frenzy, recalling Latin rock legends such as Santana at their most engaging, while the distorted guitars and retro organs of the furiously funky “(Naci De La) Rumba Y Guaganco” could easily be mistaken for Sly & the Family Stone were it not for the Spanish lyrics.  Ozomatli is the only band in recent memory that comes anywhere close to creating such an accessible brand of multicultural party music. But with all due respect, Grupo Fantasma does it much, much better.