El Pele opts for moderation. ‘8 guitarras... y una voz’ gets away from the impetuous tone of ‘Canto’ and exchanges it for composure. And that might surprise listeners who have hitherto followed him. More so when they discover that this turn doesn’t make him lose intensity. Except for the version of ‘Alfonsina y el mar’ and the zambra ‘Lucía’, there is nothing but cantes accompanied by guitar on this album. But the title can be misleading (since Moraíto does an encore); there are six guitarists who have performed in the recording, each one providing his respective toque with a personal touch.

Which might bring out different nuances in the cantaor, depending on the respective tocaor idiosyncrasy. Thus, Moraíto contributes the solidity and lineage of his family’s playing in the lively bulerías dedicated to ‘Amigo Vicente’ and in the solemn fandangos. His son, Diego del Morao, adds the freshness of his time to that in the alegrías ‘Marinero’. Just as Morón-born Daniel Méndez does, but in his subtle style. Then, the young veterans. José Antonio Rodríguez balances originality and reliability in the seguiriya. Juan Carlos Romero sustains the soleá with sensibleness. Miguel Ángel Cortés pampers the cantes de levante. Niño de Pura sprinkles the closing malagueña with sparks.

And the piano... which takes the Córdoba-born cantaor to the territory of one of his references - to the zambra and Manolo Caracol - is by Dorantes. It all sounds natural, but with little zest compared to his tremendous live shows and the overflowing energy of his previous works. Call it calmness. Moreover, on this occasion the very personal producer Isidro Muñoz remains more at a distance than he usually does; his mark is not so pronounced here. Most of the cantes have been authored - lyrics and music - by the cantaor himself. What’s more, it must be remarked that this project leaves the orbit of the multinational record companies (‘Canto’, with Vicente Amigo, was released by BMG) and joins the trend of independent production. Specifically, it credits the new label Factoría Flamenca. Not even acclaimed flamencos are fleeing from this reality.

Further information

Flamenco cantaor El Pele returns with the album ‘8 guitarras... y un piano’

Flamenco x 2. Interview with El Pele & Vicente Amigo about ‘Canto’

El Pele
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