Various Artists: Sensacional Soul Vol.2

If you’ve ever been curious to know what Spanish swingers were slip slidin’ to across the parquet of small dance clubs from Barcelona to the Costa Brava between 1965-72, still under the shadow of Franco’s dictatorship, you need to look no further than this two-disc set. Continuing the excellent Sensacional Soul series, Volume 2 contains 32 hip-swiveling butt shakers, among them rare gems like the frenetic cover of John Fred & His Playboy Band’s ’68 tune “Hey, Hey Bunny” by Los Gatos Negros, a combination of howling vocals, fluid Hammond, and blasting brass; the addictive sunshine-soul wig-out of Los Kifers’ “El Sol Es Una Droga”; and La Nueva Banda De Sanitisteban’s catchy pop groover “Limón Y Sal”. The biggest act here, Los Bravos, who previously found international success with “Black Is Black”, provides a change of pace with the mellow, steady offering “Rudy’s in Love”. Overall, Sensacional Soul Vol.2 is a stone-cold blast!