Pacifika

Asuncion's got all the makings of a decent album -- low-key beats, a lovely woman's voice, hints of Latin music to give it flavor -- and it is a decent album. But it's hard to shake the feeling you've heard somebody else do this before, and better -- maybe it was Pacha Massive, or Si*Se, or even Ely Guerra. Pleasant as Pacifika's sound is, it feels a bit too calculated, as if they'd dumped all the right ingredients in the pot and then expected the music to make itself, with no sweat or pain or struggle involved. Even low-key music needs a fire lit underneath it sometimes.