¡Volaré!: The Very Best of the Gipsy Kings

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Gipsy Kings

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I had heard of the Gipsy Kings, but had never heard any of their music before. After watching "El Amor Brujo" I knew I had to run out and buy some flamenco music fast--I was hooked on the passionate flamenco guitars and rough, soulful wail of cante jondo. I looked at all of the Gipsy Kings' available CDs before deciding on "Volare," and I haven't been able to put it down a week later!

"Volare" is a fabulous 2 CD, 37 track "best of" (there is an earlier "Best of the Gipsy Kings" but it is only one CD and most of the earlier songs are also on Volare) that features several live and unreleased recordings. The songs include a lighthearted cover of "I've Got No Strings" from Pinocchio, an intriguing Spanish version of "Hotel California" that fits in perfectly with the Gypsy flamenco sound, "My Way," an upbeat Spanish/Italian version of Volare, and many wonderful flamenco tracks ("Bamboleo," "Bem, bem Maria," "Tu quieres volver," "Mi corazon"). Simply put, there is not a bad track on "Volare."

Lead vocalist Nicolas Reyes possesses a voice of raw passion and power, a hoarse cry that is at once melancholy and passionate, the soulful song of the Gypsies. The Gipsy Kings are from two different Gypsy families in France, the Reyes and Baliardos. Their songs are in Spanish and gitane, or Gypsy dialect. Their music is a blend of cante jondo, Sevillana and modern sensibilities that is easily accessible to the casual listner.

If you're already a Gispy King fan or you're new to the crowd, you can't go wrong with the sure-to-please "Volare." The only thing I was disappointed in was a lack of liner notes: only the song credits/origins were given. There was no biography or background on the group or the songs themselves.

Wow, with all the great ethnic folk and art music easily available on the market today, it's still shocking how this watered down POP music manages to gain such recognition and fame. This is really nothing more than a flamenco version of New Kids On The Block, or any of the horrible acts who've gained success from American Idol. Just bland, paltry and boring. Even the commercially targeted hi-fi sound spectaculars released throughout the fifties and sixties that dipped into the early "world music" market were far superior to any of this stuff. Talk about a dumbed down culture.