Colombian rock band Aterciopelados has been on the verge of a major U.S. crossover breakthrough for oh, about six years now.
The buzz started with the band’s acclaimed 2001 album, “Gozo Poderoso.” That record reached the Top 10 of Billboard’s top Latin albums, spawned the upbeat hits “Luz Azul” and “El Álbum,” and earned Aterciopelados a coveted spot on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” – a rarity for a rock en español act.
The band – which revolves around the duo Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago – released a “best of” collection on BMG U.S. Latin in 2002.
But rather than follow that up with a major album on a major label, Echeverri and Buitrago took some time off and worked on their own solo, indie projects. Echeverri had a baby, Milagros, who was the inspiration for many songs on her self-titled solo debut. The album, released on independent label Nacional Records in 2005, won critical praise and received nominations for a Grammy and a Latin Grammy.
Buitrago also punched out an excellent solo album, “Conector,” released earlier this year.
Yet, as a band, Aterciopelados didn’t quite strike while the iron was hot.
After rumors of a breakup, the two are back with “Oye,” their first studio album in five years, and a U.S. tour. They perform at J.C. Fandango in Anaheim on Monday, at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, and at Riverside Municipal Auditorium on Thursday.
Just to set the record straight, the lead singer explains, there were never plans or even thoughts of a breakup.
“We didn’t split. Hector produced my album,” Echeverri said from her band’s office in Bogota. “And I sang in maybe half of his album. But the big difference was that, in (my solo album) all the songs are mine, and in his, all the songs were his. It’s easier when you control it, you know what you want. But to please both of us, it’s hard.”
Echeverri and Buitrago, former lovers, have been together in Aterciopelados since the early 1990s. The band name literally means “the velvety ones,” a phrase reportedly borrowed from a poem by French author Simone de Beauvoir.
When they first broke on the Latin music scene, observers hardly knew what to make of them. Here was Echeverri, a feminist, tattooed rockera who did not bear her midriff or legs or shake her bottom. Buitrago was a quiet bassist and producer who hid behind consoles and a trip-hop beat.
Echeverri spurns typical roles carved out for women in her field.
“I don’t know what happened in music, in general,” she said. “It’s like all they want women to do is dance and be beautiful. Everyone has anorexia. There’s so much focus on aesthetics, the perfect body, on this sexual fantasy.”
Aterciopelados debuted with “Con el Corazón en la Mano” in 1994. Their first hit album was 1995’s “El Dorado,” a deft fusion of punk, rock and folk.
“La Pipa de la Paz” in 1997 was another hit album that gained them exposure in the U.S. Latin music market. For that effort and 1998’s “Caribe Atómico,” fans and critics praised their creative combinations of Colombian vallenato, cumbia and Andean flute with surf guitar and atmospheric electronica.
“Every album you do, it’s sort of a photograph taken in one stage of your life,” Echeverri said. “You still have two eyes and brown hair, but you’re different.”
The newest album, “Oye,” is already being hailed as a return to form and one of the year’s best in Latin music. Last week, Time magazine declared Aterciopelados “Colombia’s hottest rock band.” Echeverri and Buitrago brought back a live drummer, and recorded most of the tracks live in studio.
“It does have a bit more rock sound,” the lead singer said. ” ‘El Dorado’ and ‘La Pipa de la Paz’ were a bit more electronic. In this one, we have live drums again. It’s a big difference in the way you solve the songs. When you rehearse with the live band, it takes you to another place, another sonic feeling.”
Standouts include the catchy first song and single, “Complemento,” the sardonic, anti-materialist “Don Dinero,” and the girl-empowering “Oye Mujer.”
“Don Dinero is not a person. I’m just talking about money and consumerism and buying all the time. It’s humorous. It’s funny. The U.S. definitely beats us (in consuming), because there’s more money there. But I think the whole world is going to the same place, unfortunately.”
“Canción Protesta” is literally that – a protest song. Aterciopelados has not shied away from the political spotlight, sounding off against war, machismo and abuse of power.
“Americans have been giving us money for weapons and more war,” Echeverri said about her native country’s current socio-political climate. “Because they have more money and more war, security in some places is a bit better, so people feel a bit more secure. But it’s going to blow up. You can’t cure war with more war, because the problems are deeper..”
As a leading female artist in Latin America, Echeverri was invited to perform at the 2005 inauguration of Chile’s first female president, Michelle Bachelet.
“I thought it was a nice symbol with a woman being a president. She seems to be very feminine and forgiving, a bit like a mother. I don’t know if she’s going to be the greatest president ever. But it’s a nice thing to have more feminine energy. Most energy in power is masculine.”
So with a new album and appearances across the United States, is Aterciopelados ready for its breakthrough, like compatriots Shakira and Juanes? Or will language get in the way?
“I don’t think language is a big deal, not too much. Lots of Latin people go to our (U.S.) concerts, and that’s nice. We bring them roots, nostalgic things that they miss.
“For Americans, music is not about words, really. It’s about feeling it. It’s about flow, communication.”
In words familiar to Aterciopelados, the answer to the crossover question could be a resounding “Claro que sí” (of course, yes).
Contact the writer: 714-796-6026 or rchang@ocregister.com
