SPECIAL FEATURE. CHARTS: TOP 10 FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM 2009
The year that flamenco survived
Flamenco-world.com, December 2009
If 2009 has been a hard year
for music, more so for a minority genre like flamenco
is. If illegal downloads and the economic crisis have
made a dent in pop sales, much more so in the modest albums
by cantaores and guitarists. And that, in those who have
been lucky enough to come out, because there have been
many more who didn’t find financing or a record
company, either multinational or independent, to publish
their albums. The widespread fall of 30% is applicable
and expandable to flamenco, since if in pop music the
gold record has dropped from 50,000 copies to 30,000,
in flamenco it is currently an achievement to sell 5,000
copies. An unprecedented drama, since without profitability,
investment isn’t made in producing and there is
no public capital to remedy this cultural fiasco. The
record industry, unlike the film, automobile and agricultural
industries, has no subsidies or protection of any kind.
Nor does flamenco discography… no matter how much
it aspires to be Heritage of Mankind.
Having taken this editorial break, what
relieves those of us working to cover flamenco from these
pages is having verified that many artists, some companies
and so many good fans have refused to throw in the towel
for yet another year. And thanks to this three-fold effort
in favor of flamenco music as a product and as culture,
the year has been sprinkled with quality record releases
of interest for the public involved in the genre’s
enjoyment (and defense). In fact, the past twelve months
would have been able to have at least a ‘Top 30’.
But, like every year, Flamenco-world.com announces a list
of the 10 best-selling new albums at its online store, as
a ‘mathematical’ way of gauging fans’
preferences. TOP 10 FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM 2009 once again reveals
the variety of trends marking today’s flamenco. Along
general lines, the ten best-selling flamenco albums at the
website during the year combine two directions. One, neoclassicism.
The other, miscegenation. Moreover, it being such an individualistic
genre, there are also artists who opt for creating their
own way. In the meantime, the three lines can cross one
another. And you have to remember that although they aren’t
on the list of new releases, also always appearing on this
website’s top charts are the great classics Paco de
Lucía and Camarón.
CD. Top 10 Flamenco-world.com
2009
David
Lagos heads the list with his début album ‘El
espejo en que me miro’, backed by the label Flamenco
World Music, due to the great expectation aroused by the
Jerez-born artist’s first album and due to the quality
of the music on the record (composed together with Alfredo
Lagos), made from tradition and personal creativity. Hot
on his heels is Vicente
Amigo, a key name in guitar of our time, with ‘Paseo
de Gracia’, an album with songs sung with the guitar
halfway between flamenco and pop, and full of star collaborations.
The second installment of the collection ‘Vientos
flamencos’ by Jorge Pardo, also supported by the record
label associated with this publication, is in third place,
an album on which the double personality of flamenco and
jazz translates cante, songs by Camarón, classical
music pieces and even Latin American songs.
The next two posts belong to two superproductions
endorsed by multinationals. ‘Esperando verte’
by Niña Pastori -2009 Flamenco Latin Grammy winner-
is fourth on the list, an album on which, while still being
the queen of flamenco-style pop, she sits down and sings
straight out with a guitar beside her. And the fifth is
‘Coplas del querer’ by Miguel Poveda, who shifts
to Spanish song on this recording, but with his flamenco
label… and with overwhelming success: a gold record!
Just the opposite is what Jesús Méndez does
on ‘Jerez sin Fronteras’, making his début
with independent production and a strictly flamenco repertoire…
or rather, Jerez-style. From the same land is a more veteran
cantaora, La Macanita, situated in seventh place with her
album ‘Sólo por eso’, on which she doesn’t
forget her roots, but also tackles other more melodic registers.
Eighth place in the Top 10 is occupied by a guitar album,
‘La venta del alma’, a disc by Niño
Josele in a limited (and already sold-out) edition on
which he compiled previously unreleased songs, just before
his new studio CD (which, by the way, has just missed joining
the list). The most heterodox proposal has been contributed
once again by Ojos de Brujo, who reach ninth place with
‘Aocaná’, a new materialization of their
particular fusion. And the Top 10 closes with just the opposite,
a disc on which three ‘Mujerez’ (women) conjure
up the cante roots they have drawn upon from the cradle:
Juana la del Pipa, Dolores Agujetas and La Macanita.
More albums
Although they didn’t make the TOP
10, more albums stood out in the last year. Miguel
Poveda nearly doubles up on the list, knocking on the
door with another hybrid, ‘Cante i orquesta’.
An emblem of the union between jondo and Al-Andalusian music,
so far the only album by the Orquesta Chekara, also aroused
fans’ interest. Other guitar records stood out like
‘Española’ by Niño Josele - which
might have reached the Top 10 with more time -, the début
album ‘Media vida’ by Jerez-born Javier
Patino and ‘El niño de la bella sonrisa’
by Paco Heredia. Young cante was strengthened with the letters
of introduction of Almería-born María José
Pérez with ‘Cante flamenco’, Granada-born
Antonio Campos with ‘Corral del Carbón’
and Cádiz-born Antonio Reyes with ‘Viento Sur’.
They are joined by a colleague now nearly reaching maturity
in her career, but with a tangentially flamenco album: Mayte
Martín with ‘Al cantar a Manuel’. If
she moves towards poetry and song, ElBicho continue to feed
their eclecticism in ‘De imaginar’, Tomasito
firms up his jondo rock in ‘Y de lo mío, ¿qué?’
and India Martínez managed to be nominated for a
Grammy as ‘Best New Artist’ with ‘Despertar’.
And they’ve just arrived, but a warm welcome is foreseen
in the upcoming months for records by two real cante veterans:
Enrique Morente with ‘Morente flamenco’ and
Pansequito with ‘Un canto a la libertad’.
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