Words by Eddie STATS Houghton, via Mad Decent
The big players in Caribbean music are gearing up for their summer releases, when tropical music tends to rule the airwaves in the northern hemisphere as well. In spite of reports that the music game was putting her in the almshouse, it seems our favorite Dominicana Maluca Mala is no exception. An LP entitled Massive Pow Pow is coming with the warm weather and this tropical club jam “Lola (Ging Danga”) produced by Rollz Royce/Traphouse–more Nuyorican house than merenegue–is the first result. Might be my favorite Maluca track yet; the infectious spanglish/glossolalia hook and Maluca’s Frida Kahlo/Cleopatra/Vogue-ball style suggest she might just be picking up the torch where MIA left it when she retreated into an LA synthpop bubble and leading the charge on this whole ghetto palms thing. Go, Lola.