Oye Mujer

Pan-American musicians have got more chance of creating peace and prosperity than the region’s politicians. Perhaps the latter can call on Ladama – an all-female ensemble comprised of the founding trio of vocalist/drummer Lara Klaus (Brazil), vocalist/tambor alegre player Daniela Serna (Colombia) and vocalist/bandrla llanera player Mafer Bandola (Venezuela), La-Da-Ma from their first names – plus vocalist/guitarist Sara Lucas (US). They rework well-known South American and Caribbean rhythms like merengue and samba, and rescue more obscure genres such as ijexá and quitipla, blending them all with soul, R&B and pop to reach a wide audience. Songs switch languages as well as every theme in the woke handbook: female sexual empowerment, Latinx rights, body shaming, class inequalities, immigration, the environment, the 2019 Venezuelan blackouts, the 2019 dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil… In fact, there are so many boxes ticked you could get cynical about an enterprise that seems to put eclecticism and every-woman appeal before entertainment.

But Oye Mujer, their second release, has swagger and sexual energy as well as socialist principles. Samba and reggaeton are mashed up to powerful effect on pounding opener ‘Misterio’. A classic ranchera is given a cool alt-country treatment for ‘Tierra Tiembla’. ‘Mar Rojo’ is punk-thrash that segues effortlessly into shanty cumbia. Only the closing track, a sort of free jazz-cum-ambient prayer titled ‘Solar Wind’, drifts a bit too far from any moorings. The lyrics in English could also be felizmente ditched. The quartet are formidable musicians, as is their long-time musical collaborator, Pat Swoboda, on bass. On the Sosa-like ‘Maria’, Venezuelan vocal phenomena Betsayda Machado and choir Mesticanto (men allowed!) help out. A fascinating social project, Ladama are also a thrillingly original band. This is the sound of a bright, border-straddling feminist future. Oye Mujer means Hear, Woman. Hombres should do the same, if only to keep up.