Sammy Arriaga’s ‘Banjo’s ‘N’ Bongos’ Acoustic Mixtape Review

Sammy Arriaga brings a whole new flavor to country music. The Miami-born Cuban country singer puts his own twist on country music in his  Banjo’s ‘N’ Bongos acoustic mixtape. The mixtape consists of six tracks and was recently released this May.

Title track “Banjo’s ‘N’ Bongos” brings a latin feel with the bongos playing alongside guitars. The lyrics itself has a very interesting touch to it, every lyric in this song helps intertwine the latin and the country in Sammy together…”I’ll bring the heat, you’ll bring the cool breeze, you be Kentucky, I’ll be Miami, I can’t wait to see where the song goes, you’ll bring the banjos and I’ll bring the bongos”. Nevertheless, this song makes us want to get up and dance around.

Single “Cold in Miami” has Arriaga crooning about losing a girl and through that we get to vividly picture how much pain he’s truly in, “ain’t no sunshine in this heart of mine, since you said goodbye…I’m dying here in paradise, it’s cold in Miami tonight”. Although the song is heart breaking, it is one we can all relate to especially when losing someone we once really loved.

“Cuban” is that ideal song for a Sunday night beachside dinner with it’s slow snappy tempo and banjo, it may even remind you of some of Zac Brown Band’s music.

Country ballad “Just Another” featuring Jillian Jacqueline is an absolute must listen to! Both voices blend so well together creating the perfect harmonies for a well written and produced song.

“Margarita Talk” is exactly what you imagine when first thinking of the famous margarita talk. “Not sure if we’re drunk, I can’t really tell…tequilas in my glass, just trying to make it last..You me and a buzz saying way too much, margarita talk”. Let’s be real, these lyrics accurately describes ANYONE that has one too many drinks. On that note, it’s the perfect song to listen to while having a few of your favorite alcoholic beverages.

“Lifeguard Stand” is a catchy tune with a latin twist to it, and believe it or not, you can even dance some batchata to this song. It is that type of song where you can enjoy it regardless if you’re a fan of country or not especially because it also has that 1, 2 step vibe to it.

The EP is your feel good summer country tunes and we promise you once you hear it, you won’t be able to stop singing to it!