POP MUSIC REVIEW : Guerra Keeps His Emphasis on the Music

Juan Luis Guerra, the Dominican singer-songwriter who in just two years has emerged as one of the most important figures in Latin music, demonstrated on Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre that poetry and incisive social commentary can coexist with commercial success. Guerra’s music has opened a new path, where traditional forms of Latin music can be re-explored and taken beyond their prior limits.

During a two-hour performance marked by spontaneity, Guerra demonstrated his expertise with the rhythms of the bachata (the Dominican version of the bolero) as well as merengue and salsa.

Charismatic but humble, Guerra made sure the emphasis stayed on the music, allowing the members of his backing vocal group 4:40 to perform a set of songs without him, and later showcasing his 14-piece orchestra. During this segment, the four-man rhythm section played standard percussion solo with tambora, congas, guiro and the cowbell reaffirming the African roots of tropical salsa.

In songs such as “Burbujas De Amor” (“Bubbles of Love”) and “Ojala Que Llueva Cafe” (“I Hope It Rains Coffee”), Guerra revealed one of his key influences: the artists of Cuba’s ‘70s musical movement La Nueva Trova Cubana, especially Silvio Rodriguez, whose voice and surreal images figure most prominently in his work.