Artist: David Lagos
Album: El espejo en que me miro
Year: 2009
Line-up: David Lagos – vocals
Alfredo Lagos – guitar
Santiago Lara – guitar
Manuel Moreno 'Moraíto' - guitar
Paco González – percussion
Pablo Martin – double bass
Carlos Grilo – palmas and jaleos
Luis Cantarote – palmas and jaleos
Rafael Romero – palmas and jaleos
Juan Castro – palmas and jaleos
Londro – backing vocals
Melchora Ortega – backing vocals
David Palomar – backing vocals
Mercedes Ruiz - feet
Label: Flamenco World Music
David Lagos is a Spanish flamenco
singer born in Jerez to a flamenco aficionado family where he was
surrounded by the flamenco music and culture from am early age. He
was constantly encouraged to sing in family get-togethers and parties
and at the age of ten David made his first public performance
accompanied by his brother Alfredo on the guitar. Soon he began
making more and more shows finally deciding to immerse himself in the
world of singing to flamenco dance. Since then David Lagos has been a
much requested singer among numerous flamenco dance companies and he
has travelled the world doing shows with various groups. I myself
have had the pleasure of hearing and seeing David Lagos in concert
for three times in a span of merely three months. Not only is he a
brilliant singer , but he is also a very warm and a charming person.
Therefore, I thought that the time was finally right to write a bit
about the first, and at the moment of writing this post, the only
solo album of David Lagos called El espejo en que me miro (The mirror
in which I look at myself).
On the back cover of the album, it says
that ”David Lagos is one of the most unique cantaores in today's
flamenco”. One can certainly agree to that sentence upon the very
first ten seconds on the album as David and his musicians kick it off
with am energetic bulerias (one
of the many flamenco song types) featuring only hand clapping
(palmas),
encouragement shouts (jaleos)
and muted guitar string strumming as David enters the scene with his
powerful voice before the whole band explodes to the musical frenzy.
The artistry of David Lagos might not be unique in a sense that he
would bring something extravagantly new or innovative to the table of
flamenco music. The uniqueness lies solely in his voice: it is
instantly recognisable and while trying to describing it I would use
such adjectives such as deep, powerful, grainy and fat (in a positive
sense). Personally, I find that special something in David's voice
which attracts to me in flamenco in general: that magic, depth and
the mystical sensation on which you cannot quite put your finger. The
music itself on the album is fairly traditional flamenco featuring a
good range of the different flamenco song types. Eventough the music
might be traditional, it is performed with a good energy and the
passion of today's flamenco artists which makes this album a very
pleasant experience. David's brother, Alfredo is a real power house
on the guitar and he is obviously on of the best and most natural
choices to accompany the singing of David.
I
could definitely recommend this album to all music fans out there. If
you are already familiar with flamenco, you can surely appreciate
this album. If you, on the other hand, are somewhat or completely new
to flamenco this record could serve as a fine introduction to this
fine musical style as it is musically very traditional but the
musicianship and the performances are filled with the young and fresh
energy of today making the album exciting and exhilarating to listen.
I will conclude this post by saluting David with the very same words
which close the the album itself shouted by the wife of David: ”Olé!
Viva tu tierra!”
Preview of the
album:
David Lagos live
with his brother Alfredo Lagos:
Written
by Παναγιωτιης
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