El Trio are a rock/ funk/ Latin infused band based in the Domincan Republic who by their own admission don't stray too far from their song based structures, but are willing to display the odd fusion or progressive flourish here and there on their album Sempre Que Ha Un Corazon.
Based primarily around the compositions of guitarist and vocalist Jonas (Jonatan Pina Duluc), this tight sounding and often funky trio which also consists of bassist Kilvin Pena and drummer Pablo Pena serve up twelve songs that highlights not only their skilled musicianship, but also a willingness to experiment and expand upon the traditional bass, guitar, drums lineup, filling out their sound at times by introducing other instruments such as violin and horns into the fold.
Bassist Kilvin has a nice, thick and meaty sounding warm tone to his playing which locks in splendidly with Pablo's fluid, Latin based rhythms, while Jonas (who also sings all these songs in Spanish) is more than happy to churn out his vast arsenal of tasty chops which often displays a distinct blues rock influence. While much of Sempre Que Ha Un Corazon is what I'd call 'standard' sounding rock, when the band does decide to experiment a bit, like on the ten minute "Va a Llover", is when things begin to finally heat up a bit. This track features not only an intricate and shifting rhythmic arrangement, but also some ripping guitar work from guest musician Ivan Batista, while Jonas turns in some fabulous vintage sounding King Crimso-esque sax playing as well.
While Sempre Que Ha Un Corazon is a pretty solid, straight up affair overall which, although it doesn't yield too much in the way of musical fireworks, it does show that these three talented musicians are quite adept at sticking to the three to four minute song format. However, in the future if they're willing to expand upon the sonic experiments of that one song, I think the overall end result would definitely be a lot more interesting.
Track Listing
1) Cancion De Los Callos
2) Crisalida
3) Como Un Mensaje
4) Te Quiero Para
5) Otro Muerto
6) A Medio Vivir
7) Elastica
8) Punto Aparte
9) Mas Elastica
10) Vaina De Aqui
11) Va A Llover
12) Cancion De Lulu
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