The 11:11 album cover
Last night I downloaded the new album by guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. I am a big fan of their original self-titled CD, and I even saw them perform live in Chicago two years ago. Having listened to their new album in whole, I have to say that it leaves me a bit bored. The music seems to lack passion, rhythm and character. The duo’s original CD featured lively songs that conveyed emotions of adventure and vivacity, epitomized in my mind by the track Tamacun. None of the songs on this album, though, really excite me. Although Rodrigo y Gabriela despise the use of the word ‘flamenco’ to describe their music, their original CD had a strong rhythm in every song reminiscent of its Andalusian brethren. These strong rhythms served as the pulse of the melodies. The songs on 11:11 seem almost too balanced- Gabriela’s characteristic tapping and smacking no longer are the root of the songs. Rather, the music sounds flat and lifeless. Finally, as I listened to the CD I had trouble differentiating between songs. They all seem to blend together. Each track is supposed to be a tribute to an artist that inspired the duo, yet the songs seemed to lack definition and a degree uniqueness. Overall, the new Rodrigo y Gabriela album 11:11 sheds the musical identity that originally earned the group so much fame, hence depriving the CD of any originality or definition.
Once again, your writing enthralls me as much as, if not more than, your opinion. Your writing is beautiful, mature, eloquent, and rich.
After repeated listenings … I actually love this CD / collection, and find it to be very true to their form.
The CD has been growing on me, but I find myself listening more to their original album.