It says alot that Charanga Habanera were voted most popular band in Cuba in 1999; there, music is more important than even politics. The group's salsa is not the cheek-to-cheek, swing-around kind familiar to many dancers and listeners, but a rougher, more frenetic style called timba.
Charanga's particular timba style -- a super upbeat sound that revels in its dance-inducing effects -- brings in a variety of new accents to salsa. The bass lines are chest-rattling deep and fast, the hip-hop-like chorus lines warm and sexy, the horn lines scorching, and the piano and percussion complex even while feeling carefree. The songs stop and start with mercurial temperament. A soft, romantic ballad suddenly shifts into a harder, hotter beat that drips with sweaty desire. A catchy horn line erupts into angry attack. The chords are playfully flip-flopped just to see what will happen. Of course, what happens is everyone dances.
The 14-piece Charanga Habanera are famous for their live shows, which feature high-energy dancing, the swapping of instruments and other feats that have landed them in trouble with Cuban authorities. It seems their lyrics are a little too raunchy, the crowds a little too unrestrained and several band members' clothing a little too easy to remove.