With Camino Real (2003) it seemed as if the Belgian producer Buscemi had gotten stuck with his sound that combines lounge, house, brasil, afrobeat and now jazz into a fluid whole. The first track of Retro Nuevo suggests that this has not changed much, but further listening shows that he has greatly expanded his musical spectrum with influences from Bollywood, electro, Balkan and Andalusia. As always,
… he tries to pull the aforementioned styles out of the shadowy underground and bring them aboveground, while making sure not to work too complicated. This leads to twelve songs where fun and cheerfulness are paramount and depth is avoided at all times. After all, it shouldn't be too difficult. Ethnic rhythms that continue to reverberate according to the traditional house arrangement never reach the level of Jazzanova or Rainer Truby, despite the fact that Buscemi also has a live band with an extensive horn section. Maybe he should make more use of it for his next CD. (AD)more