Vamo a Gozá

Supported by the Grammy Foundation, Irka Mateo travelled around the Dominican Republic documenting genres, even bringing one, comarca, to the attention of urbanites for the first time. Vamo a Gozá, her third album, is informed by these explorations, and packaged as ‘Neo-Dominican music.’. Nine tracks are made up of merengue, champetas and cumbias as well as lesser-known forms, many fused with or underpinned by other rhythms – notably reggae. It’s a vivacious if short sequence, with a rocking energy, dance-driven accordion melodies and bursts of twangy, wah-wah Afrobeat guitar. Mateo’s vocal style is raw and prone to break into rap; it’s perhaps most effective when backed by a female chorus (provided by an overdub of her own voice mixed with that of Yenny Núñez), as on the shimmering call-and-response of ‘Tainos’. But she’s also exciting when blasting out chants, which never veer into the folksy: the album has an urban, contemporary edge.

La Tirindanga is less a backing band than an epic cast of fabulously talented friends and musicians. Only the titletrack, mixing tango and bachata beat, is forgettable. Mateo played Haiti with the Fugees and at home with Sergio Mendes. This is a fun, dynamic release that would make for a superb live set.