Rey de Mi Folclor Vallenato y Cumbia Colombiana

Ever since Carlos Vives turned to the style in the early 90s, vallenato reinstated itself as one of Colombia's most-cherished national styles, a genre that evokes ‘traditional’ Colombian life. Vives’ trick was to add rock and pop instruments to vallenato, a style typically played by accordion with percussion backing, and lyrics speaking of a Colombia of yore. Accordion player Beto Jamaica, appointed the ‘King of Vallenato’ after winning the style's famous festival in Valledupar in 2006, returns to the same songbook as Vives, though with less innovations, aside from the addition of electric bass. He rallies through classics of the genre, but there is always something that rankles. Accordion is a great rhythm instrument or for adding texture, but up-front it can be insufferable, like turning on a strobe when all you needed was a candle. This unease is heightened on many of the nostalgic, syrupy songs here, which offer little over the originals. The best track on the album is ‘Luz Mila’, a quick-witted paseo originally by Los Hermanos Zuleta that is firmly on the front-foot throughout, while an expansive arrangement for ‘Cumbia Universal’ offers variety. They are scarce diversions in a slog that doesn't touch classic vallenato nor try to innovate.