“El Hijo de Obatala” by Santero is a rich slice from the vibrant, often chaotic life of its creator. Santero himself is a mixture of almost everything under the sun: born in Guatemala, he traveled the majority of Central America as a kid before ending up in the U.S. after several border crossings and subsequent deportations.  He endured poverty in the Bronx and faced down the KKK in New Orleans.  He is inspired by a mixture of religions, ranging from Catholicism, Buddhism, and Rastafarian, as well as Central American, Caribbean and African traditions. Diversity, thy name is Santero, and it shows.

What Santero does well in his songs is grab you from the beginning.  It starts with a beat and keeps it moving all the way through.  Take “Checherengoma” for example.  It is simple in composition with an easy rhythm to it which will get you dancing, though not necessarily a deep exhibition of the artist’s musical abilities.  Its influences are wrapped in Reggaton and Carribean beats, with a little tango thrown in to keep you satisfied.  Santero is not a necessarily a musical genius, but he knows what works to keep you happy.  This makes sense given his admitted influence of “sonideros” or make-shift vehicle mounted sound systems he would encounter in his native Guatamala. It seems the goal of this track is to keep you moving. Mission accomplished, let’s move on.

On to the next track we can see Obatala is starting to mix it up.  Where as in “Checherengoma” we had a Reggaton base, here in the track “Oba” we go to an R&B feel.  Again, the beat is simple and continuous, but it works.  Either of these songs would be at home in a club or martini bar.  The female voice on the track works very well with Santero’s to balance out the track, and it’s interesting how Latin influences creep into the song at various intervals.

The grade on the two tracks of “El Hijo” is a B.  Though enjoyable, I would have liked to see a bit more diversity in composition given the artistic plethora of experiences the artist was exposed to.  That being said, I think you’ll enjoy this CD.  Its mixture of styles keeps it up-beat and interesting, which is really sometimes the most desired feeling you want.  So give it a shot, take it in, and relax to it over a drink.  Enjoy.