There are songs about places, and then there are songs that make you start checking airfare.
Los Hermanos Alacranes land firmly in the second category with “Colombia Te Espera,” a joyous, sprawling love letter to Colombia that somehow manages to squeeze cities, rivers, mountains, Carnival, salsa, vallenato, family history and some very good rock and roll into one irresistible trip.
But the timing gives this one a little more weight than your average musical postcard.
Colombia has once again found itself navigating an extraordinarily difficult chapter. Recent months have brought renewed armed violence, attacks on communities and a devastating earthquake, while questions about security and the country’s future have returned to the international conversation. Against that backdrop, a song called “Colombia Awaits You” feels almost quietly defiant.
Because Los Hermanos Alacranes aren’t interested in reducing Colombia to its troubles.
Instead, Paulo Franco sings about the Colombia he knows: Bogotá and Cali, Medellín and Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Marta; the Amazon and Magdalena rivers; Boyacá’s emeralds; the Llanos; Carnival; salsa; vallenato. It is Colombia as lived experience ra...