Detailed Review [Perfume De Mujer - 1998 - "Pollos d'Granja"]

Perfume De Mujer (Cuba) - 1998 - "Pollos d'Granja"
(71 min, "Luna Negra")

Line-up: LeO - drums; PPP - violin and keydoards; BOlo - electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin on 14; LanDy - electric and MIDI guitars; AbeL - vocal, bass, lyrics, sequencing, electric guitar on 1,5,10,11, organ on 13&14 ; Raul Ciro - voices on 5; Yalica Jo - vocal on 5, cello on 11; Manual Clua - flute on 13&14

This is a second album of the "right-winged Proggers" (along with Musica D'Repuesto: read the "Av Abuc" (Va Cuba - in the mirror of the Cuban musicians' thoughts) detailed review within "The Luna Negra Label - Overall View" material: from a "left-winged" country (for me personally, the right and the left, as well as Mrs. Whore - Politics, are things absolutely "left" - this word in a Russian 'Slanguage' does mean simply "shit"). At the very least, this is the most ambitious of the band in general. A lot more than just a 'full-blooded' Prog- or Rock-band (a foursome with a traditional set of instruments plus vocals, for example) comes the Smell Of Woman on their second disc. The five staff members with singing leader / multi-instrumentalist Abel at the front are complicated with several guests on very colourful various wind instruments, violin-cellos and so on, including different sets of acoustic percussion. Briefly, music-wise "Pollos d"Granja" is the richest, most savoury and diverse Cuban Progressive album of all that I've heard. Music on the album is no less exotic than the "Island of Freedom" itself. A rattling mixture of Classic Art Rock with the structures of 'Symphonic RIO' (that is, there's no arrangements of jazz character here), at times supported by the Latin cadences - toppings of acoustic percussion. But with all this, a harmony of structures and melodies are perceptible at once. Vocal parts (in Spanish), crossing in all directions the already quite odd arrangements with countless shifts of 'phases' of moods and tempo, make it more challenging to get into the work. However, for those faithful, sick and tired of endlessly repeating refrains, the kaleidoscope of hot spontaneous, but meticulously wrought 'musical processes' by the philosophers of the Cuban Progressive cell on this album will be a treat for the soul and a source of many pleasant evenings, as riddling of stuff like this is the best leisure for people like us.