Yma Sumac - "Miracles" (1972) - London Records
Hello Friends,
Our favorite Peruvian princess with a five octave vocal range is on the Vinyl in the Valley turntable tonight!
Yma Sumac is one of the legends of the 50's Exotica movement. Contrary to popular belief, "Yma Sumac" was NOT born "Amy Camus" in Brooklyn, NY. From what we can tell, however, she was born Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo in Callao, Peru in 1922 and she may or may not have been a distant descendant of the last Incan emperor, Atahualpa.
In any event, Yma Sumac's voice was unlike any other and she had a string of albums in the 50's that are essentials in the Exotica pantheon. Albums like "Voice of the Xtabay" (1950), "Flahooley" (1951), "Legend of the Sun Virgin" (1952), "Mambo!" (1954) and "Fuego del Ande" (1959) helped defined the genre and sounded unlike anything else at the time-- or ever since! From her baritone growls to her higher-than-normal soprano trills, she's really needs to be heard to be believed!
Miracles is Sumac's foray into rock & roll music. Produced and arranged by none other than Les Baxter, the results are definitely weird and cheesey-- but in the best possible way. Sumac's music of the 1950's was unlike anything anyone heard before-- give her an utempo, rock & roll backing band and that statement doubles in meaning!
There's a very proggy feel to this record. Her voice sounding more like something coming out of Rick Wakeman's early synthesizer rather than a South American woman's vocal chords! In fact, with all its strange and other-worldly sounds, lyrics and experimental (sometimes outlandish) arrangements, you can make the argument that Exotica was to lounge music as Prog Rock was to rock & roll.
Thanks to Danny & Ross for this record!
RATING: 4.5 Descendants of Atahualpa out of 5
Yma Sumac is one of the legends of the 50's Exotica movement. Contrary to popular belief, "Yma Sumac" was NOT born "Amy Camus" in Brooklyn, NY. From what we can tell, however, she was born Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo in Callao, Peru in 1922 and she may or may not have been a distant descendant of the last Incan emperor, Atahualpa.
In any event, Yma Sumac's voice was unlike any other and she had a string of albums in the 50's that are essentials in the Exotica pantheon. Albums like "Voice of the Xtabay" (1950), "Flahooley" (1951), "Legend of the Sun Virgin" (1952), "Mambo!" (1954) and "Fuego del Ande" (1959) helped defined the genre and sounded unlike anything else at the time-- or ever since! From her baritone growls to her higher-than-normal soprano trills, she's really needs to be heard to be believed!
Miracles is Sumac's foray into rock & roll music. Produced and arranged by none other than Les Baxter, the results are definitely weird and cheesey-- but in the best possible way. Sumac's music of the 1950's was unlike anything anyone heard before-- give her an utempo, rock & roll backing band and that statement doubles in meaning!
There's a very proggy feel to this record. Her voice sounding more like something coming out of Rick Wakeman's early synthesizer rather than a South American woman's vocal chords! In fact, with all its strange and other-worldly sounds, lyrics and experimental (sometimes outlandish) arrangements, you can make the argument that Exotica was to lounge music as Prog Rock was to rock & roll.
Thanks to Danny & Ross for this record!
RATING: 4.5 Descendants of Atahualpa out of 5
I'll have another glass of rum please.
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