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Gipsyolé ( 2002 )
Deserted beaches, colourful cocktails, and stunningly beautiful women with enigmatic smiles, those are the images this album conjures up. With a mix of authentic flamenco (see: The Gypsy Kings, or for that matter Los Niños’ earlier incarnation Alabina, who were quite big on the European continent), Caribbean rhythms and horn arrangements, and prominent elements of contemporary dance-pop, Los Niños de Sara are out there to satisfy your need to delve into more exotic atmospheres. To be honest, I’m not an expert when it comes to flamenco (The Gypsy Kings and Paco de Lucia are about the only flamenco artists I’m really familiar with) or Caribbean music (I only heard – and appreciated – Ry Cooder’s Buena Vista Social Club project and some of its related solo projects), but even my untrained ears can detect some excellent guitar playing where there is some goin’ on, for instance in the dreamy album closer “Mi … Angel” or the sensual “Cae La Nieve.” Elsewhere the emphasis lies more on rhythm and danceability: “Una Muchacha,” and “La Cubanita,” for instance (but the same is true for the majority of the songs) have some terrific percussion and horns that playfully accentuate the melody, while “El Niño Del Viento” and “Santa Maria” combine stirring dance rhythms with those slightly melancholic flamenco vocals, which I like. |
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| It’s not that the entire album was meant for the dance-floor, as the band repeatedly enters more low-key terrain, such as on “Romance Anonimo,” “Vivire Para Ti” and “Me Encuentro En Tu Desierto,” tracks that focus more on the expressive vocals of the quartet. With its contemporary sound and positively accessible melodies the album probably appeals to both those who like this exotic blend, as a crowd that usually prefers soft-rock ballads. It’s superfluous to say that the album has quite some variety: that the band can pull of such different tracks as “El Niño Del Viento” and the Arabic-tinged “Mizai Mizai” really earns them some extra kudos. I’m also pretty convinced that the performances of the core of Los Niños de Sara (four cousins who basically take care of the vocals and guitars) and the session musicians are excellent. On the other hand, the glossy dance-pop sheen given to the album might not be what hardcore fans of authentic music might be looking for, and I must admit it bothered me sometimes, since the rhythmic sweep given by the percussion and the slashing guitars would have been just fine. Instead, some of the songs, like “Vagabundo,” “La Cubanita” and “Cae La Nieve” get a prominent dance-beat that in my opinion makes them much less enjoyable. As with all things it’s probably a matter of taste: without the laboured over production they would mainly score in an inner circle of those who are already converted, while it wouldn’t surprise me that the actual production job wins the band a bunch of new fans, who weren’t really acquainted with this kind of music before, but are convinced by this highly competent blend of traditional musicianship and more commercial goals. Who can blame them? If they were incompetent I’d never have received this album in the first place. Note: more information about the band and the label can be found at www.intentcity.com |
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