Ah, Brazil
John Beltran's rather underrated career is mostly built around a garnered eminence within the chill-out genre. An early devotee of the Detroit techno sound, Beltran earned himself a respectable following amongst lounge and ambient-techno aficionados. He fine-tuned his distinct brand of trance around these genres -- chill-out and Detroit techno, that is -- in their burgeoning years, circa mid-'90s. Beltran's second full-length recording for Ubiquity, In Full Color, finds him more cautiously continuing the Brazilian-influenced sound first introduced on his previous full-length for Ubiquity, Sun Gypsy.
Sun Gypsy, which was released in 2002, received a less-than enthusiastic reception from John Beltran's fans and critics alike. Longtime admirers of Beltran's music may have found his sudden change in musical direction pompous -- if unintentionally so. Beltran's established background in, and affinity with Detroit-Techno may have blunted the album's appeal among his fans. Needless to say, their collective indifference took a toll, as Beltran's designs for In Full Color seem less ambitious.
Beltran aside, this ethno-cognizant approach to dance music isn't a new thing; "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, collectively known as Masters at Work, nigh-perfected this concept with their 1997 full-length project, Nuyorican Soul. A groundbreaking release, Nuyorican Soul featured cameos from jazz-fusion greats George Benson, Roy Ayers, and the late Tito Puente, as well as dance legend Jocelyn Brown and creatively combined the sounds of disco, Afro-Cuban, R&B, jazz, and house. In Full Color, while not possessed of the sheer innovation of Nuyorican Soul, is listenable, but that's all.
In Full Color, like Sun Gypsy before it, is purported to be a musical exploration of John Beltran's own Latin heritage. In Full Color is somewhat more restrained -- musically speaking -- than Sun Gypsy , however. Perhaps stymied by the lukewarm response to Sun Gypsy, Beltran seems to have opted for a more straight-ahead dance release. Sure, the Latin rhythms are present, but they are secondary to the album's electronic groove. This time around, Beltran constructs a recording that more conservatively takes his Latin influences into consideration, while not loosing sight of the album's overall groove. Unfortunately, Beltran's misgivings about experimentation take their toll as In Full Color is just a standard dance release with little, or no innovation, its full potential hampered by caution.
The instrumental trance of "Rain in Shibuya" opens the album. The next track, the Afro-Cuban-esque "Kissed by the Sun", is an album standout due to its incorporation of jazzy vocal arrangements, synthesized horns and subdued conga beats. The third track, "Candela", is purely festive Latin house.
The straight-ahead dance tracks on In Full Color are fully offset by the presence of choice ambient numbers like "She Is", "Pictures and Indian Summer," and the bossa nova-like "Dia Brioso". These tracks form a perfect counterpoint to the up-tempo club cuts while also affording the album a respectable degree of sonic diversity. The album also benefits from the inclusion of mid-tempo tracks like "Azulaje" and "Your Colors".
For all of Beltran's aspirations, In Full Color is just a basic, run-of-the-mill dance recording that makes for a pleasant, if not memorable listening experience. While John Beltran is a truly gifted producer of dance music, his greatest strengths are not easily accessible on In Full Color. In the future, perhaps, John Beltran will record a double-CD -- one that showcases his innovations on one disc, while serving his more commercial ambitions on another.
— 12 May 2004
