From the liner notes: "The word 'vallenato' applies indiscriminately to the social group, their music, and to the local popular troubadour bearing this name." That's great for a start, but where do these people come from and how is it that as a social group these musicians come to make such magical music? It appears that the heart and center of this music lies between the Caribbean, the Venezuelan border, the Atlantic coast, and more specifically Magdalena Grande. The Magdalena Grande is referred to because of its temperate climate and its rich and lush valleys like the Colombian Mediterranean. The musical roots of the vallenato are rife with the transcultural crossing of Indian and African traditions, but it is unknown where they got their name. And perhaps it's fine we don't know, especially as Yankees. What gets to us is the music itself, and this vallenato music is infectious, rich, full of rhythm and harmony, exuberant song, and lively instrumentation. African song rhythms were blended into the Indian carrizo music over time, as were other black musics of the region, and finally, during colonialization, the Spaniards had their influence forced into the carrizo songs with fixed meter in sung verses (four- and ten-verse stanzas). In vallenato music, accordions and drums (as well as minor percussion instruments) feature most prominently. The accordion is relatively new to the region; it entered the music of vallenato only in the late 1800s. The Magdalena Grande was not easily accessible until the 1930s when the first roads were built. As a result, the role of the troubadour proved an important one for all the people of the region: the troubadour would chronicle the lives and times of the people in one region for another and vice versa; he would poetically record history and the changes in that history would be reflected in the style and delivery of his music. Often the troubadours traveled together in groups, becoming singing history books and newspapers. In modern times, the role is still important, but is a more professional one. The Spanish and African rhythms and long, chanted and sung melodies, pumped full of life by shakers, accordions, and drums, are among the most joyous sounds in the world, as these 21 selections attest. There isn't one that doesn't instill movement in even the staunchest couch potato. This is music to party to, to share with friends, or just plain dance your ass off in the living room to. There are no translations in the lyrics so, unless you speak the language, you'll have no idea what these people are singing about, but it makes no difference, they're obviously happy about it, and you should be too. ~ Thom Jurek