Rodrigo y Gabriela

For their new album the Dublin based Mexican acoustic duo Rodrigo y Gabriela have collaborated with a group of Cuban musicians’, imaginatively named C.U.B.A. This is not strictly speaking new material as they have gone back and reintepted nine tracks from their back catalogue. This was meant to be no more than a stopgap but the project guided by producer Peter Asher and mixed by Rafa Sardina took on a life of its own and became much more ambitious.

Santa Domingo kicks thing off (no pun intended) and will be familiar to those who watch Spanish football on satellite television. The new version, after the initial intro, doesn’t actually sound that different though the strings are a nice touch. Hanuman is now much bigger in sound, almost Santana like, but the duo is still the core of the sound.

Ixtapa, extended to 8 minutes plus, sounds totally over-whelmed. The dark 11.11 has had the extension treatment too, taking on a Floydian air in parts, until the last section when, for reasons that really ought to be explained, a traditional Cuban choir is introduced. As to Master Maqui, that now sounds like a game show theme.

That is pretty much par for the album; the original songs sound as if they have been embellished rather than actually reworked. In most cases this is to the detriment of the song. The duos guitar playing is still there and incredible as in Diablo Rojo, and the plaintive Logos sounds gorgeous with just the added piano. The album is rounded off with Tamacun which again has been doubled in length and frankly tests the patience.

This album doesn’t really work that well mainly because there’s a sense that Rodrigo y Gabriela have got a bit carried away with the opportunities that a band bring and gone a little kids in a sweetshop. There’s no questioning the production or the musicianship on this album, but this probably would have worked better had it remained just a stop-gap project and maybe just an EP, rather than the overextended and flabby workout we have now.