Rescued from obscurity, they've taken ten dusty old scores and turned them into musical pearls. Re-arranging them to suit Foster's tremulous voice and Herrero's virtuoso guitar playing, backed by simple percussion, the occasional ukelele and the odd castanet. The arrangements manage to sound both joyful and melancholy due largely to Fosters graceful but eery vocals which swoop and soar over her husbands flamenco melodies.
The recording captures loose and natural live performances. The production has an rich antiquated feel. It's like listening to an old 78s but without the crackles. If like me you geek out on that warm mono recorded sound that you only get from crackly old vinyl, then you'll really love this.
It's like stepping back in time to a forgotten age. It would be the perfect soundtrack to meander through the small lanes of a quiet, spanish village with a warm breeze at your back. Sounds good doesn't it.
The standout track for me is 'Peregrino' which allows husband and wife to delicately duet, it starts gently but builds into a full group singalong. This and the song 'Abenemar' are poems by long-forgotten poets plucked from history and set to music. If only I could understand Spanish because Foster's delivery is makes the words sound utterly beautiful. Also worth checking out is 'Cuando Vienes Del Mondo' which ads a Dylan-esque harmonica into the mix and is quite perfect.
As the title suggests, this is a small jewel of an album and something to be treasured. Traditional, authentic, and not a straw donkey in sight. Ole to that!
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