One might think that, with both a band name and record title so whimsical,
Las Ketchup
's 2002 release,
Hijas del Tomate
, is not to be taken seriously. But after hitting number one in several of
Billboard
's
Latin
categories, and with a
Grammy nomination that year, critics and audiences alike began to reconsider this misleading impression. However, the fact that the industry now takes the
Munoz
sisters seriously doesn't mean that the sisters themselves do. The emotional tone of the material on
Hijas
is playful, rollicking, and intelligent. The first cut,
"The Ketchup Song,"
is a rapid-fire Spanglish
reggae
club-inflected dance party that equally rewards carefree head-bobbing listeners and those dedicated enough to catch and decipher the song's wry lyricism. Unlike many
Latin pop
acts, the instrumentals are both harmonically complex and inherently Latino. The prevalent
flamenco
influence pays homage not only to the sisters' guitarista father, but also to their Andalusian heritage. Their melodic sense is far too engaging to be dismissed by a "
pop
" categorization.
have done a fine job keeping a lighthearted, accessible aesthetic while offering insider humor to those paying close enough attention. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez