En Casa Limón

Although a long time resident of the US, David Broza’s background is from the UK, Spain and Israel, where he has been a star since his 1977 hit ‘YiHye Tov’ (Things Will Be Better) made him a pop heartthrob. Since then he has worked for Israeli-Palestinian peace and he has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. He co-wrote the theme song for the organisation’s 50th anniversary. So this all-instrumental album with the hugely successful Spanish producer Javier Limón (Buika, Mariza, Anoushka Shankar) makes an unusual introduction for newcomers.

There are plenty of flamenco influences here, as well as some eastern Mediterranean and even Celtic touches, although the tracks that try to blend them tend to be the least successful ones. There are some very simple, repetitive numbers (‘Saturday Morning Jig’), but also dashes of compositional elegance (‘Guitar Confessions’). Everywhere the producer’s touches are subtle – a shadow of electric bass here, an overdub there – while keeping Broza’s guitar at the forefront. With a few ensemble tracks and the string-backed ‘Tears for Barcelona’, this album, by no means a classic, could nevertheless serve as an introduction to Broza’s substantive back catalogue.