Howe Gelb
Alegrias
Release Date: Mar 21, 2011
Genre(s): Alt-Country, Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, International, International Fusion, Western European Traditions, Flamenco
Record label: Fire Records
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Album Review: Alegrias by Howe Gelb
Very Good, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 7/10
A lot can be made of Howe Gelb's collaboration with famous Spanish Flameco guitarist, Raimundo Amador. It might trouble some that Gelb decided to venture in this direction, forgoing his propensity for lo-fi Americana in favour of more, how shall we say it, musically clichéd pursuits. And there's no doubt that Alegrias is unafraid of what it is. There are plenty of hacking harmonic minor to major chord progressions and jaw-dropping arpeggios.
Based on rating 6.3/10
Real estate maxim/cliché: You can change everything but the view. Howe Gelb is the view. Over the course of his long career, Gelb-- either as a solo artist or more frequently with his band Giant Sand-- has dabbled in folk, country, alt-rock, gospel, and most combinations thereof. At the center of this shifting guitar music is Gelb's flat sing-talk.