Manos Arriba

Rosanna Tavarez, known professionally as Chana, rose to prominence as a member of Eden's Crush, a girl group created on the United States version of the reality television franchise Popstars.[1] Eden's Crush was signed with London-Sire Records which released their debut album in 2001.[2] The group broke up when the record label closed in 2003.[3] While promoting Manos Arriba, Chana did not answer questions about Eden's Crush to distance herself from the group and its sound.[1][4] A Latina writer said that Chana "imploded her girl-group roots" with the extended play (EP)'s release.[5]

Following Eden's Crush's disbandment, Chana hosted entertainment television shows, such as being the "sidekick" on On Air with Ryan Seacrest.[1] She said her works hosting TV Guide Channel programs provided her with enough money and time to experiment with music;[4] she paid all the costs of the EP's development, recording, and release.[6] The stage name "Chana" was developed from a shortening of her first name Rosanna.[7]

Prior to Popstars, Chana was frequently approached by Latin music record executives. She rejected their offers because she felt unprepared for a music career; at that time, she had only done karaoke and did not have any vocal training. Chana also wanted to avoid conventional Latin pop, saying that she "wanted to come up with something distinctive, even if the crowd would be niche".[7]

Chana collaborated with producer Marthin Chan for the recording of Manos Arriba.[4][7] She was introduced to Chan by mutual friends of her husband and Univision producer Andres Baez.[4] At the time, Chan was auditioning singers for the group Popvert.[7][8] He said he was first drawn to Chana's pitch, and she recounted how they initially bonded over their shared love of 1980s music, specifically Depeche Mode, The Cure, and Velocity Girl.[7]

For the EP, Chan produced the instrumentals first, and Chana would then write the lyrics and melodies with him.[7] Chana based her lyrics on past relationships and break-ups, while Chan looked to Manu Chao's music for inspiration.[9] She said that she had difficulty during the recording process due to the personal nature of the lyrics.[10] Although she found it more challenging to write lyrics in Spanish, Chana felt the language was more poetic than English.[4][9] She often consulted a Spanish-English dictionary to translate her ideas.[9]

Chana and Chan wrote and produced all five songs on the EP.[11] They worked on Manos Arriba for roughly two years, and recorded it in Chan's recording studio in the garage of his home in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Even though they initially created the songs as a way to secure a record deal, they later decided to release it independently.[4] Chana believed the decision had allowed to maintain creative control over her music and image.[12] Eighteen tracks were completed for the EP, and five were chosen for the final release.[10][13] In a 2008 Univision interview, Chana confirmed she wanted to record an album, which would include some of the EP's songs.[12] She was interested in working with Thom Russo to expand her sound.[14]

Manos Arriba consists of five tracks, which Latina said had an "electro-dub-rock" sound.[1][5] The EP opens with "No Me Mandes Flores" ("Don't Send Me Flowers"), a song that the Los Angeles Times's Agustin Gurza called a "cold kiss-off to a stubborn ex-lover".[7] The second track "A Veces" ("At Times") deals with jealousy, and features salsa horns and tropical influences.[4][7][9] The following song "La Duda" ("The Doubt") centers on confusion over a man sending mixed romantic signals; the lyrics are accompanied by synthesizers.[15] For the fourth track, "Icaro" ("Icarus"), Chana sings about the Greek myth. Rather than criticizing Icarus for his hubris, the lyrics praise his desire to follow his passions despite the risks. Chana identified with Icarus, and said: "I would rather take the risk and fall on my butt. It's about that part of you that says just do it."[4] The Houston Chronicle's Sergio Burstein compared Chana's vocals on "Icaro" to Andrea Echeverri.[16] The EP concludes with "The Whistler", which mocks the practice of catcalling.[15] In his verses, rapper Malverde assumes the role of a cat-caller.[7]

The New York Daily News' Carolina González wrote that the EP's content was not specifically tied to Latin American topics even though Chana sings in Spanish.[1] Billboard's Ayala Ben-Yehuda said the music does not conform to "any rigid Spanish-language genres".[15] González noted that the material crossed several genres, describing it as "boundary-ignoring music that can best be summed up as pop". She compared the instrumentation, specifically the guitar, drums, keyboards, synthesizers, and horns, to reggae, power pop, and disco.[1] Agustin Gurza described Chana's vocals as a combination of "soulful inflections" and "electronic staccato phrasing".[7]

Chana identified her music as "trop-electro-hip-pop";[7] she explained: "The definition of pop has become looser, more inclusive. When you talk about pop, you're basically talking about a hook, a melody that catches your attention."[1] She said she wanted to make material that is both easily accessible, as well as artistic, clarifying that she never set out to make music as experimental as Björk.[1] She experimented with Caribbean music after studying African-American dance and music in the Dominican Republic.[9] When asked about the reception to the EP, Chana responded that various Latin communities responded to it differently as they had different definitions of mainstream and underground music.[1]

Manos Arriba was released on January 27, 2008, as an audio CD and a digital EP, through Chana's own record label Patacon Productions.[4][17][18] Chana held a release party at Bordello Bar in Los Angeles and performed several of the tracks.[7] She also did an interview and performance for the TV Guide Channel.[19] The iTunes Store featured the EP as the "Best of the Week" in iTunes Latino, the name of the store's Latin music section.[1] According to the Latin music website GritaRadio, Manos Arriba was successful in Latin markets in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.[10]

Two singles – "No Me Mandes Flores" and "La Duda" – were released from Manos Arriba. The lead single was "No Me Mandes Flores"'; in the beginning of March 2008, it was the third most downloaded song in iTunes Latino. Chana performed the single on April 8, 2008, at a Miami nightclub known as the White Room; for the performance, Chan played the keyboard as part of the band.[4] According to Nochelatina.com's Stephanie Nolasco, the song became an "underground favorite".[14] "La Duda" was released as the EP's second single,[6] and selected as the Single of the Week for iTunes Latino.[15]

Chana promoted "Icaro" with a music video, which was uploaded to her YouTube channel on September 13, 2007.[4][20] In it, she does "full body twists and falls of modern dance".[4] Chan uploaded a making of for the "Icaro" music video on August 13, 2008.[21] Carolina González wrote Chana' "vindicates [Icarus]" through her choreography; González identified her performance as indicative of her past dancing training in a magnet school and as part of the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company.[1] In a similar sentiment, PopMatters' Jordan Levin noted Chana drew upon her experiences at New World School of the Arts and the dance program at Ohio University for the video.[4]

The EP received a positive response from critics. Comparing the songs to music recorded in Echo Park, Agustin Gurza praised Manos Arriba as an "infectious fusion of Caribbean rhythms, cool electronic vibes and sharp, satirical lyrics".[7] A Latina writer summed up its style as "No Doubt meets Belanova".[5] Jordan Levin believe the EP was successful because of Chana's "faith in her instincts, disregard for convention, and impish sense of fun".[4] Ayala Ben-Yehuda and Adrian Morales described the songs and their subject matter as "clever".[15][22] A Univision contributor praised the songs as inspiring people to dance,[12] and Ben-Yehuda said their themes were easily accessible to a large audience.[15] Writing that Chana does not "dumb down" her music, a LA Weekly reviewer highlighted her vocals as representing her experiences in art school and her time spent in Miami and New York.[23] The Los Angeles Times' Reed Johnson said that Chana and Chan developed a "hot-house hybrid", and wanted them to release a full album.[24]

According to the liner notes, Chana and Marthin Chan wrote and produced all the tracks.[11]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Manos Arriba.[11]

Management

• Patacon Productions
• Malverde appears courtesy of B&G Entertainment

Personnel

• Chana – writer, producer, vocals
• Marthin Chan – writer, producer

• Manos Arriba at Discogs