Area 52

This album finds Rodrigo Y Gabriela reinventing nine of their original compositions with a 13-piece Cuban orchestra providing backing. It’s their first such collaboration. Additional guests include Anoushka Shankar on sitar, The Cult drummer John Tempesta, Miles Davis’ former bass cohort Carles Benavent, and the Palestinian combo Le Trio Joubran. Definitely new territory, then, for the Mexican duo, who have given us some genuinely breathtaking performances in the past.
Here, there is often so much going on within Peter Asher’s production that it can hard to focus on individual contributions. But for the most part it’s an exhilarating stew. They take the opening track ‘Santa Domingo’ at a blistering pace, fuelled by some high-tension percussion and brass, and they keep the fires burning for ‘Hanuman’ with electric, and electrifying, guitaring that revises memories of Carlos Santana. However, ‘Ixtapa’ is less intense, and there’s a more jazz ensemble feel to ‘Master Maqui’, while the piano-led and introspective ‘Logos’ has a welcome dreaminess. The album ends on a high with ‘Tamacun’, all flaming brass, exotic percussion and crazy guitars like hot chilli peppers in the blistering sun.
While a little less promenading on occasion might make for deeper music, there’s no doubting the immense talent of the pair who launched their success in Ireland. That talent is more than confirmed here.