Cerro Negro
Where in the World?
Mata L’Arana
Though the rumba flamenco genre has been around for eons, most of us can’t get comparisons to The Gypsy Kings out of our heads whenever we hear the music. Admittedly unfair, it’s something that will happen to all of those who are not connoisseurs of the sound. This comparison should in no way dampen your appreciation of Cerro Negro. John Martin III, Frank Giordano, and Dusty Brough are fine musicians who understand the music well and play it even better. Where in the World? is a fine, tropical breeze of an album. The trio takes rumba flamenco to its most incredible heights, inveighing the music with their own subtle energy and eroticism. This is a late-night disc for lovers full of sensuality and verve. Brough and Giordano play their guitars with an intense sizzle while Martin is simply incandescent with the cornucopia of percussion he uses (conga, coral, goat hooves, rain sticks, you name it) to infuse the music with an organic energy that is too infectious for words. While determinedly staying away from the cheesy pyrotechnics often plaguing the Kings, Cerro Negro still offers up the same elation their predecessors elicit. Where in the World? is a fine disc to be enjoyed in those lonely moments or in those times when togetherness is paramount.
Cerro Negro: http://www.cerronegro.net
