El Sonido de Fingier Records

Any track entitled ‘Latin Dynamite’ suggests to this jaundiced mind one of those tawdry cover albums of chart hits found in days of yore. These aren't covers, though; they’re originals by an Argentine producer called Kevin Fingier and his merry band of singers and musicians. They were created for release as 7” singles for dancers and partygoers under the aegis of the well-respected Acid Jazz Records, and have now been compiled for release on its subsidiary, Fingier Records.

The trouble is that the originals aren't very original. Some, like ‘Why Don't You Go Home’, ‘Don't Wanna Cry No More’ and ‘I Love Without A Love’, are songs based around simplistic lyrics declaimed by vocalists who do a reasonable job while suggesting crowd-rousing contestants on The Voice. It's R&B and boogaloo and soul without much soul, sounding like second-hand Daptone productions once removed. The instrumentals – like ‘Cocktail De Medianoche’, ‘El Basement’ and ‘Sunglasses After Dark’ – are better, and ironically ‘Latin Dynamite’ is probably the best of all. It could slip inconspicuously into a compilation of 1960s Fania-label boogaloo and shing-a-ling. Ultimately, it's good enough for the dance floor and an impromptu party, but not really for anyone reared on the real thing.