Roots

'Roots' is the 11th studio album by the French-Catalana band Gipsy Kings. This 2004 album shows they haven't forgotten their roots, though they're still on the more catchily commercial side of things than many flamenco outfits. This album has everything for all styles of Flamenco, some Canto Ondos, Bulerias, and Rumbas. There's plenty of variation in mood, tempo and pacing, and there's a pleasingly pensive atmosphere on some of the slower numbers. The guitars' sounds incredible!!!, as are the vocals from Nicolas and Francoise "Canut" Reyes who are singing superb and peak in just about every song where the rhythms are rousing and very danceable, and the songs are the kind of songs only they can produce. Ole!!!

Fans of flamenco icons the Gipsy Kings have been waiting a long time for a record like Roots. The group spent much of the last ten years churning out a sleek and heady mix of often disposable worldbeat that, while perfectly executed, never lived up to the promise of their hugely successful 1988 American/English debut. The aptly named Roots finds the brothers Andre and Nicolas Reyes leading the veteran octet through 16 blistering tracks, bereft of the percussion and electronic trickery that has plagued so many of their previous outings. The family collective rented a farmhouse in the south of France for the recording, and the results are nothing short of a revelation. From the opening notes of "Aven, Aven" through the intimate campfire splendor of "Petite Noya," the bandmembers seem possessed by one another, trading stories through the only medium they understand, resulting in a listening experience that's almost mythological in scope. Between the infectious handclaps on "Rhythmic," the two visceral "Fandango" pieces performed by Nicolas and cousin Patchai Reyes, and the pristine (field) production -- it's like an Alan Lomax recording in 24-bit digital -- lie eight men out of time, playing for their country, their history, and most importantly, themselves. Highly recommended. ~ James Christopher Monger

〈根元〉と名付けられた2年半ぶりの新作はアコースティック楽器を中心にした内容。タイトルどおりにフラメンコの源流を遡るように、しっとりと濡れた道を行く作品に仕上がった。ルーツに向かい合うことで〈哀愁〉のありどころを探ることとなった彼らは、これまでにないほどの切なげな歌とサウンドを生み出し、同時にシリアスな表情を見せている。メロディーの良さも引き立っているし、浮遊感も向上。実に真っ直ぐな作品である。
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