La Semilla is a Christian band that plays the mysterious and intriguing music of the Andes of South America. The band members hail from Peru and their music at times is very otherworldly.

Andean music is primarily driven by wind instruments such as quena flutes (in ancient times made from human bones, but today made from cane, gold, and silver), ocarinas, and Zampoņas (Andean panpipes). It also features drums (especially the Bombo, a large drum with a deep sound), stringed instruments like the Charango (a small guitar traditionally made from the shell of an armadillo), and guitar. La Semilla incorporates all of these instruments, plus some modern instruments such as the bass guitar, in their eclectic musical mix.

I heard this band's diverse instrumentation for the first time at Cornerstone 1999. They were one of the opening bands for The Crossing performance in one of the big tents, and they also performed at a conference on World Music at the Wycliffe tent. Both performances were wonderful. Each of the four musicians played with passion and enthusiasm, so I was excited to hear one of their albums.

But unfortunately, though I hate to say it, I am a little disappointed by this particular recording. Compared to albums by secular Andean bands that I have heard, Renaciendo ranks about average. To me, it simply does not contain the adventure and unpredictability that I heard in this band's live performances. My guess is that this is just a case of a recording not capturing the best moments of a band.

Also, part of my criticism of this album has to do with its melodies. They are just too predictable. Again, I am not by any means an expert in Andean music, but I do know that the element of surprise and change is fundamental to this genre of music. Predictability is not.

Some of the notable songs on the album include the first track, "Cordillera Blanca," (tran. "White Mountains") and "Toyos del Sur" ("Toyos of the South"), both good songs with cool appearances by the Zampoņas). "Eden Perdido" is also interesting ("Lost Eden"--this song's catchy melody is probably the most Andean song on the album), as is "Tiempos y Verdades" ("Times & Truth"--this song has some very good harmonies. I wish they had used more of these harmonies throughout the album.)

Finally, "Renaciendo" ("Renaissance") features a very interesting melody with some well-placed rests used for effect. It also has some wild yelps that certainly add to the fun of the album. And, if I understand the Spanish correctly, this song's lyrics are compelling as well, talking about the re-creation that takes places in our lives as we live new lives in Christ.