Remedios Amaya

I bought « La oreja de van Gogh - Guapa » and « Remedios Amaya - Me voy contigo » together from Amazon.com to supplement my fledgeling collection of the music CDs en español.

That said, please let me tell you that this review gonna be like no other; not because it's better than any other reviews but because the reason behind buying these is presumably different from most other people's justification to do so.

Now that I have time all for myself 24/7 and for the upkeep of my mental faculty, decided to take up something to knead my brain with. My pick was to improve my conversational proficiency in French, Italian, and Swedish. Since the former two are similar, I told myself why don't I pluck one more up, hoping I don't pluck my hairs off the head down the road. Why not Spanish ! Why didn't I pick up Portuguese and Romanian too ? If I did my brain will overheat and explode for sure !

When I was leaning English back home many many tides and moons ago, our instructor told class to try to sing songs in English to improve pronunciation. If you don't pronounce english words correctly with the right accent and intonation you just can't sing properly, he quipped. Ever since, I bought music CDs in French, Italian, Mandarin, and Swedish whenever I learned those languages. Now it's español.

So, my criteria in choosing CDs are that the singer sings relatively clear and pronounces each word relatively distinctive although I fully understand that liaison, elision, and other nitty-gritty details are facts of life in language learning. That presented a major obstacle in choosing CDs because no review on a musical CD was understandably written from the viewpoint of if it's helpful in learning a language or not.

In any event, to make a long story short, I chose the above noted CDs. From musical point of view I prefer Remedios Amaya. In my provincial mind her songs fit my preconceived idea of what canciones de España should be like. Although she sings very fast and I need a lot of concentration to follow the lyrics in the booklet which came with the disc. The other one, I bought it because I read that they have sold more than 6 million copies worldwide of their four albums. However, as far as I'm concerned, is like a collection generic pop songs sang in Spanish and Amaia Montero's way of singing is kinda soft and not very clear. On top of that, the CD supposed to contain a bonus track of « Cuántos cuentos cuento » but it's not on the CD. I feel I was cheated by Sony.

When selecting albums of flamenco singing, it is always important to see who are the singer's accompanists. The same as an "haute cuisine" meal accompanied by an inappropriate wine, a great singer can be diminished by an ill-suited guitarist or lack-luster percussionists.

This album has a wonderful pairing: The powerful, brandy-laced voice of Remedios Amaya, gypsy "por los cuatro lados" but with the modern touch of her generation, paired with the incomparable stylings of Vicente Amigo. Remedios has one of those voices and styles which can grab you in the guts (and elsewhere as well), constantly reminding you of that "something" that makes flamenco what it is and separates it from all imitations.

For his part, Vicente Amigo is one of the post-Paco de Lucía/Manolo Sanlucar "new school" of guitarists who has managed to make an indelible impression with his own, unique style - and, more remarkably, consistently so. Vicente's first appearance was very auspicious: As a teenager, he appeared on a couple of cuts on Manolo Sanlucar's masterpiece, "Tauromagia," one of those "must-have" flamenco albums. Having played with both Manolo Sanlucar and Paco de Lucía definitely shows, but he has absorbed their art and made it his own. He's one of those rare guitarists, like his maestros of the generation before him, whose style is so unique that one knows who's playing after hearing only a few bars. His playing is a very rare combination of subtlety, nuance, and musical sophistication overlaid and informed by a very flamenco, earthy sensibility - like a great, fluffy Persian cat: The fur is soft and silky, but one is constantly reminded that what lies beneath are some very sharp claws and teeth.

For another excellent pairing, check out "Del Amanecer," the album with the incredible singer José Merce and, again, Vicente Amigo, who produced and composed much of the recording.

It is rare that a singer can recreate a Flamenco Cante that has been sung for a century, and bring something new and delightful to it without compromising the deep feeling associated with the form. Selections 1,2,7,8, and 9 (spacious Tangos and Bulerias)are as good as anything that is being created in music today. No one can "shout" from such depths and keep it so musical! Gracias Remedios!

This album is truly exciting. It has all the soul and essence that is Flamenco. All the passion that this dance has to offer can be heard in every song. I highly recommend it.

Just look at the cover of the CD. The voice of Amaya is everything passionate and wonderful that one sees in her beautiful gypsy face. Her sound reminds me of the great Camaron. Her voice is real and pure - a living treasure.

I bought « La oreja de van Gogh - Guapa » and « Remedios Amaya - Me voy contigo » together from Amazon.com to supplement my fledgeling collection of the music CDs en español.

That said, please let me tell you that this review gonna be like no other; not because it's better than any other reviews but because the reason behind buying these is presumably different from most other people's justification to do so.

Now that I have time all for myself 24/7 and for the upkeep of my mental faculty, decided to take up something to knead my brain with. My pick was to improve my conversational proficiency in French, Italian, and Swedish. Since the former two are similar, I told myself why don't I pluck one more up, hoping I don't pluck my hairs off the head down the road. Why not Spanish ! Why didn't I pick up Portuguese and Romanian too ? If I did my brain will overheat and explode for sure !

When I was leaning English back home many many tides and moons ago, our instructor told class to try to sing songs in English to improve pronunciation. If you don't pronounce english words correctly with the right accent and intonation you just can't sing properly, he quipped. Ever since, I bought music CDs in French, Italian, Mandarin, and Swedish whenever I learned those languages. Now it's español.

So, my criteria in choosing CDs are that the singer sings relatively clear and pronounces each word relatively distinctive although I fully understand that liaison, elision, and other nitty-gritty details are facts of life in language learning. That presented a major obstacle in choosing CDs because no review on a musical CD was understandably written from the viewpoint of if it's helpful in learning a language or not.

In any event, to make a long story short, I chose the above noted CDs. From musical point of view I prefer Remedios Amaya. In my provincial mind her songs fit my preconceived idea of what canciones de España should be like. Although she sings very fast and I need a lot of concentration to follow the lyrics in the booklet which came with the disc. The other one, I bought it because I read that they have sold more than 6 million copies worldwide of their four albums. However, as far as I'm concerned, is like a collection generic pop songs sang in Spanish and Amaia Montero's way of singing is kinda soft and not very clear. On top of that, the CD supposed to contain a bonus track of « Cuántos cuentos cuento » but it's not on the CD. I feel I was cheated by Sony.

When selecting albums of flamenco singing, it is always important to see who are the singer's accompanists. The same as an "haute cuisine" meal accompanied by an inappropriate wine, a great singer can be diminished by an ill-suited guitarist or lack-luster percussionists.

This album has a wonderful pairing: The powerful, brandy-laced voice of Remedios Amaya, gypsy "por los cuatro lados" but with the modern touch of her generation, paired with the incomparable stylings of Vicente Amigo. Remedios has one of those voices and styles which can grab you in the guts (and elsewhere as well), constantly reminding you of that "something" that makes flamenco what it is and separates it from all imitations.

For his part, Vicente Amigo is one of the post-Paco de Lucía/Manolo Sanlucar "new school" of guitarists who has managed to make an indelible impression with his own, unique style - and, more remarkably, consistently so. Vicente's first appearance was very auspicious: As a teenager, he appeared on a couple of cuts on Manolo Sanlucar's masterpiece, "Tauromagia," one of those "must-have" flamenco albums. Having played with both Manolo Sanlucar and Paco de Lucía definitely shows, but he has absorbed their art and made it his own. He's one of those rare guitarists, like his maestros of the generation before him, whose style is so unique that one knows who's playing after hearing only a few bars. His playing is a very rare combination of subtlety, nuance, and musical sophistication overlaid and informed by a very flamenco, earthy sensibility - like a great, fluffy Persian cat: The fur is soft and silky, but one is constantly reminded that what lies beneath are some very sharp claws and teeth.

For another excellent pairing, check out "Del Amanecer," the album with the incredible singer José Merce and, again, Vicente Amigo, who produced and composed much of the recording.

It is rare that a singer can recreate a Flamenco Cante that has been sung for a century, and bring something new and delightful to it without compromising the deep feeling associated with the form. Selections 1,2,7,8, and 9 (spacious Tangos and Bulerias)are as good as anything that is being created in music today. No one can "shout" from such depths and keep it so musical! Gracias Remedios!

This album is truly exciting. It has all the soul and essence that is Flamenco. All the passion that this dance has to offer can be heard in every song. I highly recommend it.