Black Sugar EP

Black Sugar is a funky Latin-rock band from Peru, mercifully reissued for a latter-day audience by Lazarus Audio Products. "Viajecito" is the essential track — the waka-waka guitar intro is the main attraction, although the basic track is funky, Latin, and mostly instrumental. "The Looser" and "Funky Man" also are hip, but lyrics on the corny side keep them from heavy play. The lead-in tracks on each side, "Too Late" and "Understanding," are solid, and the rest are decent ballads. Although the singing is not the greatest, the acoustic guitar and conga interplay on the lighter tracks sound like something from Sabu Martinez' Groovin' with Sabu album. "Pussy Cat" is an ambitious jazz instrumental; with its Latin percussion, funky bass, and strings (not to mention the title), it could have been a cut from one of the better "blaxploitation" soundtracks. Black Sugar may not change many lives, but it does occupy a vital corner in the rare world of Latin funk.