Nuestra Casa A La Izquierda Del Tiempo

This isn't so much a new album by long-running Spanish pop/rock act La Oreja de Van Gogh as it is a demonstration of their confidence in new vocalist Leire Martinez, who joined in 2008. She had big shoes to fill, replacing original singer Amaia Montero, who'd been the face and voice of their first four albums. So after discovering Martinez on the Spanish reality show Factor X, the group released its fifth album, A las Cinco en el Astoria, with her. Now they're showing longtime fans that she can handle the earlier material by re-recording it with her on vocals and a symphony orchestra behind them. Two songs are reprised from A las Cinco, while one from their debut, 1998's Dile al Sol, three from 2000's El Viaje de Copperpot, four from their 2003 breakthrough disc Lo Que Te Conte Mientras Te Hacias la Dormida, and one from their final album with Montero, 2006's Guapa, make up the rest of the disc. In general, the arrangements don't differ much from the originals, except for the addition of strings and maybe a little more piano than before. But La Oreja de Van Gogh have never been a hard rock act; they've always been sort of "soft alternative," so this album fits quite comfortably into their discography and will likely make fans who've stuck with them very happy. ~ Phil Freeman