A reflection upon the impotence of man in the face of loss prefaces the second album by Arcángel. 'La calle perdía' (Senador, 2004) is the sound of that feeling. And perhaps coming from there is the sweetness that adds color to this work which, like the previous one, he has created together with his faithful squire, guitarist, composer, producer and musical director Juan Carlos Romero. This melancholy summary of eleven songs resorts to stylized cante and avoids all shrillness. The choruses, the 'hummable' refrains and the string arrangements are, perhaps, the album's trademark. Even so, as it couldn't be any other way, the spotlight falls back on Arcángel's voice, that ring so peculiar, so crystal-clear, so perfectionist, so inside.

The tangos 'La llave y la clave', the guajira airs 'Si nos diera por pensar', the rumba 'Reconozco la verdad' and 'Canto de los desengaños' - with lyrics by José Luis Ortiz Nuevo - are examples of that flamenco turned into melodic song that the album focuses on. Also to be included in that group would be the fun alegrías 'Venta la Tonta', which have the unmistakable mark of composer Isidro Sanlúcar and an appreciable vocal display by the cantaor, who parades his throat around all the nooks and crannies. 'La calle perdía' is another example, traditional Alosno fandangos which are moreover revised with strings and lyrical voices.

The other side of the album - recorded at Arcángel and Romero's own studio - is orthodox cante flamenco, with no other decoration than the performer's personality. The soleá 'Los aires llevan mentiras', the malagueña 'Carril de San Miguel', dedicated "to maestro Enrique Morente", and the tonás 'A capela' display all the knowledge of the Huelva-born cantaor, all his interest in looking back, in not forgetting the roots. That 'investigative' will is also appreciated in the lyrics chosen, many of them popular. However, the album's tendency is just the opposite: new lyrics written for the most part by Juan Carlos Romero, in charge of composing nearly all the songs. At the same time he faces the musical weight upon performing all the guitars, except for one done by Diego de Morao in the song 'Abre la ventana', written by Antonio Rodríguez.

As a whole, 'La calle perdía' may seem a bit dull to the listener. It is an album pleasant to the ear, but perhaps a bit flat. The production criterion doesn't help extol the voice, nor the main instrument, the final sound being somewhat faint, somewhat gloomy. And that makes the excellence of the composition and performance somewhat clouded-over. Even so, it is an album to really bear in mind, since it marks one of the directions of highest artistic level in today's cante flamenco.

More information:

Arcángel records 'La calle perdía', the second album of his career

Interview with Arcángel, cantaor (March 2001)