It’s not always easy to find a really good balance between world music and the serious Latin charm of, say, rumba. Gary Carpenter indirectly boasts that he has struck that balance, and he certainly sounds here like he has a point.  On Tierra Madre, his sophomore release, he and his band, Tribal Heat, draw on everything they have to present a complete package of cool and sexy blends of some interesting world music undertakings and the all-so-consuming drive of Latin rhythms and melodies.

I have to admit to a certain bias for Latin music. Oh, when it’s badly played, it forces me to turn a deaf ear to it, but when it’s on, I mean really “on,” I can lose myself in its mystique, its passion, its fire, and its sensuality with the first stroke of that romantic guitar. Only a really decent artist can summon that in me. Carpenter seems to fit the bill.
 
I was already prepared to listen fully by the time track one, “The Seer,” was underway; then I was met with track two’s “Rumbatheque,” a hot dancer that spews forth the sweet nectar of the culture and charisma that is Latin music.  Impressive is an understatement.

I always worry about an artist perhaps overstepping his capabilities when it comes to tackling music that is so representative of a specific culture, especially Latin culture. Is he or she adequately schooled in the culture? Has he or she shown a genuine desire to be cloaked in its warmth, nuances, and powerful caress?  These questions were sufficiently answered with Carpenter’s skillful handling of his very vocal guitar.  Case in point would be track three’s “Hero’s Journey” that not only embraces the Latin touch but sprinkles it with some nice world music nudges, as well, much like the opening track and the title track which immediately follows “Hero’s Journey.”  The exotic sultriness of “Native Born” is memorable, and the spoken word, provided by one Johnny Fabulous, adds a pleasant dimension.

No, I wouldn’t say I’m in love with the entire CD—there are elements that left me a bit flat, like the more world-prominent explorations found in the intro of track 11, “Temple in the Mist,” a piece which later does become a bit more melodic and exotic, though perhaps still not enough for me.  He saves my day by returning on the last cut, “Better Demons,” to that electrifying Latin allure with lightning-quick riffs.

All in all, this project was an enjoyable experience--and even captivating in many places.  As any world music or Latin music aficionado will tell you, well-produced melody and passion have everything to do with the outcome of any recording endeavor. Tierra Madre is no different and rises to the occasion nicely.  --  Ronald Jackson