This Week's Picks (#7) ¡Viva España!

As the World Cup comes to it's end, we can finally return to our regular program. However, we haven't quite escaped the world of football as this edition of This Week's Picks is inspired by Sunday's game. Spain played such a close game, that even though it did not make it into our World Cup Losers series, it deserves it's own tribute. Here's to Spain, the 2010 World Cup Champions!

"Primavera" by José Mercé

I am a die hard flamenco fan, and love the excuse to feature some of my favorites. This track is from José Mercé's 2003 release, Del Amanecer.... While José may have a terrible hair cut, his distinct cantaor voice compensates. It is easy to imagine how he has become one of the greatest voices in flamenco. For a flamenco track, the guitar is pretty tame, but to listen to Mercé is to bask in his outstanding, strong voice, not to focus on the guitar. 
(Reviewed by Alexandra)


"Ole" by Jarabe De Palo


Jarabe De Palo is a rock group that has found considerable fame in Spanish speaking countries. This track is from their 2007 release Adelantando. This is a great song and much to my delight you can hear some flamenco influences, which lift the song from being average to great. The flamenco influences may be slight in this track, but it is easier to hear them in some of their other tracks ("Ying Yang" for example). While I only just stumbled across this group while searching for Spanish music, I am definitively hooked.
(Reviewed by Alexandra)


"Por la Mar Chica del Puerto" by Mayte Martín 

I've chosen another flamenco singer for our last track, but Mayte Martín is a different vain of singer than Mercé. However, she does seem to have the exact same unfortunate hair cut. Martín's voice has more sweetness than Mercé and is less rough. She models her image closer to that of cantaors like Mercé than the typical cantaora, but she does not have the course voice of the cantaors. Her voice has become the model for the newer generation of cantaoras. This track is from her recent 2010 release, Al Cantar a Manuel.
(Reviewed by Alexandra)