La Verdad

You can probably count the world-class salsa bands from Richmond, Virginia on one hand. And you can probably count on one finger the world-class salsa bands from Richmond, Virginia that were founded by expatriate Puerto Ricans who met in art school and formed a band after hooking up with a punk rock drummer. That's exactly what brought about the founding of Bio Ritmo in 1991, and over the ensuing 20 years the group has absorbed musicians of widely varying backgrounds (from Rastafarians to jazzheads), but has settled into a style that some refer to as "post-salsa" but will sound pretty much like traditional salsa to most listeners. Bio Ritmo's style is bubbly and rhythmically compelling, but often rather laid-back, at times even gentle; on La Verdad tunes like "Dina's Mambo" and "Lola's Dilemma" percolate softly, while "Carnaval" drives forward with a bit more oomph, built on a scaffolding of almost mathematically precise rhythms that bring to mind Birdsongs of the Mesozoic on a Caribbean vacation, while "Verguenza" features the tight-harmony vocals and wailing trumpet that traditional salsa fans love. All of it is a pure pleasure to listen to, and even better for dancing.