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Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Friday 22nd July 2016
Christmas is very close, but there is no need to panic if you are still looking for some special presents. Music is always a welcome gift, particularly when it is something out of the ordinary. This could be just what you are looking for.
Lively Adelaide band, Chica Chica Electrica, launched their first CD, In the Dust, at The Jade night spot, to a sizable and very enthusiastic audience. There is a wide variety in the eight of their original songs on this CD, reflecting the interests and musical backgrounds of the members who describe their style as Mexican/surf/cowboy/rock.
To launch the CD, the band presented a full evening of their songs and instrumentals, the first half working their way through the songs on the CD and then, after a short break, playing another large group of their compositions, including some great dance numbers that had the space left for dancing, filled with people.
Vocalist, Frankie Starling, lived in Mexico for some time and many of the songs, most of them in Spanish, tell of her experiences and of the people that she met. Guitarist, Stephen Horne, is the other songwriter in the band, bringing the surfing influence to their music. Completing the group is a very tight and imaginative rhythm section consisting of Satomi Ohnishi, on drums, and Peter Nixon, on bass, both with a background in jazz, although that influence is not part of the music of this band. There is a wealth of talent and experience in this group that sets them apart.
As for the CD, it is full of music that will have you listening to it again and again, as I have been doing. The title track is saved until last, opening instead with Domingo en el Zócolo, a piece in 3/4 that demonstrates the clever integration of styles, with the surf sound from Horne's guitar, making good use of the tremolo lever, blending superbly with the Latino influences from Starling's vocals.
Surfing Escondido features Horne's guitar, with a shuffle rhythm, from Ohnishi on drums, moving the song along. One can imagine a beach with surfers riding the waves and people dancing on the sand. Niña Bonita Eléctrica gets back to a solid Latin rhythm and both Spanish and English vocals from Starling.10 Second Look is a surf rock love song in 3/4 with an edge to it, followed by the lively Down to México extolling the virtues of the country. This is a real toe-tapper. In the humorous song, Vegan Love, Starling sings of her sad love for a cowboy rodeo star, a cnetre of the beef indistry, but she is a confirmed vegan.Los Bomberos opens with Horne on guitar laying down a very fine surf riff, with vocal interjections from Starling. Ohnishi and Nixon keep up the driving rhythm that is bound to get listeners dancing. Finally, we come to the title track, In the Dust, a slow and soulful piece of a man coming back to town to find the woman he loves.
This album was a year in the making and the result is a well-rehearsed and exciting new collection of music from a great band with an ever growing following of enthusiastic fans. They play regularly at venues all around Adelaide so be sure to catch them. You can buy the CD at any of their gigs or contact them via their Facebook page here. The album is also available at Big Star and Mr V Records.
Here is a small sample of their music.
