TOP 10. FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM 2007
A tie between cante and toque
Flamenco-world.com, December 2007
Cante and toque have tied. The
Top 10 which Flamenco-world.com elaborates according to
its annual registers of online sales leans equally towards
vocal albums and those of guitar. This year there are
no innovations nor crossovers, but rather albums of a
traditional nature by already consolidated artists, some
maestro or another and some newcomers. Marina Heredia
heads the ranking in which Arcángel, Capullo de
Jerez, José Antonio Rodríguez, Chicuelo
and Cañizares also stand out. With regards to audiovisual
production, the recording of the show ‘Sabores’
by Sara Baras is the leader. And except for the appealing
DVD ‘Casacueva y escenario’ by Estrella Morente,
the educational methods triumph. The training spirit also
prevails in the book section, headed up by a mixed product
which is now a “must”: ‘Enciclopedia
de los Estilos Flamencos. De la A a la Z’. As it
does every year, except for sheet music, the top list
suggests that enthusiasts don’t read a lot... although
they let themselves be convinced if there’s something
for the ear, as in the case of Tomás Pavón
and Luis de la Pica.
| FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM’S
TOP 10 CDs |
Marina Heredia has demonstrated with
‘La voz del agua’ that not only is she one
of the most sought-after cantaoras on today’s scene,
but also that it’s possible to do without the multinationals.
With a self-produced album, she is in first place in Flamenco-world.com’s
Top 10 2007. Although Arcángel’s
album was released in late 2006, it wasn’t until
this year when its reception could be measured. And it’s
been more than positive. Capullo
de Jerez’s die-hard fans have also responded
heartily to ‘Flor y canela’. And then in the
final stretch of the year, ‘Recuerdos’ by
Esperanza
Fernández and Duquende’s
live show in Paris have been welcomed with the same warmth.
José Antonio Rodríguez
(Photo Daniel Muñoz)
This year, guitar has demonstrated its
quality and variety of proposals. José
Antonio Rodríguez stands out on the list with
the concert ‘...en el tiempo’, released on
DVD. Although it has just come out a few weeks ago, Chicuelo
has triumphed with ‘Diapasión’. The
beautiful, conscientious work by Cañizares
to transfer the score from Albéniz’s ‘Suite
Iberia’ to flamenco has been rewarded in top sales.
The list is completed by two albums with a clear generation
gap. One is that of debuting guitarist Santiago
Lara, ‘El sendero de lo imposible’. And
the other, that of veteran maestro Juan
Habichuela with ‘Una guitarra en Granada’,
an album dedicated to accompanying the cante of figures
such as Chano Lobato, José Menese, Marina Heredia
and Potito.
The near hits
Some interesting proposals have remained
just off the list. One of them isn’t new, but is
timeless: the re-release of ‘Antología. La
mujer en el cante’ by Carmen
Linares, on the occasion of its tenth anniversary.
Percussionist Nacho
Arimany has captured the attention of many listeners
with his album ‘World Flamenco Septet. Silence light’,
on which he integrates flamenco and jazz with a multicultural
perspective. Also remaining near the ranking is El
Torta’s album with a DVD ‘Momentos’,
so long-awaited by his followers after fifteen years without
a new record. There’s also guitar amidst posts ten
to twenty; the proposal of maestro Paco
Cepero with ‘Abolengo’, and that of restless
youth Daniel
Casares with ‘Caballero’. Besides compilations
such as ‘Pa saber de bulería’, also
having an acceptable reception were the albums ‘Claros
del alma’ by singer and bailaora Ana Salazar; and
the collaboration between Jorge Pardo and El Bola entitled
‘Desvaríos’.
Carmen Linares (Photo Daniel
Muñoz)
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