Uruguyan group who’ve apparently added a synth as their newest member…
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Will Adams: A pleasant, summery duet between two singers who demonstrate a palpable chemistry, which makes fo-YOOOO GIANT UGLY TRANCE SYNTH INCOMING THOUGHT YOU WERE SAFE HUH THINK AGAIN LMAO
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Alfred Soto: Serviceable cumbia pop with electronic fart effects.
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Katie Gill: The entire song feels off-kilter somehow, as if the singers are constantly one step ahead of the beat. I don’t know if I like it, but it’s certainly interesting and it certainly adds a bit to this cute, if generic, beachy song.
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Jonathan Bradley: Fernando Vazquez and Emilia Mernes are a good match; his lazy flirtation settles into the cumbia skank while she strikes out into more assertive territory, channeling Shakira. Each corrects the other, with Mernes rousing Vazquez whenever his arch, simmering tones threaten to make themselves too comfortable. I can relate: this sparkles like the best kind of sunshine.
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Brad Shoup: The dance-pop pads so lightly, it’s that much more destabilizing when that rave synth attempts to thread the cumbia. I would’ve loved for them to navigate the whole track that way.
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Juana Giaimo: Before reggaeton invaded the clubs of Latin America more than a decade ago, this was the kind of cumbia you could see young people dancing to — a light beat with an awful synth interrupting. Rombai — as well as Marama and other bands — returned to this old-fashioned cumbia but provided professional production and a cool image. The reason why these bands are so successful these days is maybe because of their inclination to pop melodies — after the aggressive rapping of late ’00s reggaeton, the smooth delicate voices of Rombai are pleasing. In this sense, “Cuando Se Pone a Bailar” may not be the most memorable song, but it is one that can make you dance and sing along to it.
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