Indestructible

The brassy, bouncing opening bars of ‘Moreno Soy’, the first track of Indestructible, will make flamenco fans’ hearts pound to an unexpected beat. While his earlier albums have seen Romani Spanish star Diego El Cigala fuse flamenco with tango, bolero and jazz, this latest exploration of salsa is more daring. Flamenco has musicological links with many kinds of Hispanic music, and, of course, Andalusians migrated to places like Havana and Colombia. But in terms of sensibility, are few overlaps.

Yet Cigala's smoky vocals, his cantaor's straining vowels and his natural openness do start to develop a winning hybrid as the album proceeds. The tracks are well chosen. The opener is by Bobby Valentín. Cigala also performs Héctor Lavoe's ‘Juanito Alimaña’. The title-track is a popular Ray Barretto song. As covers go, these are considered, well-crafted, and faithful to aspects of the originals but they bear a firm stylistic signature. Cigala is helped out by stellar talents including Lavoe, Cheo Feliciano, La Sonora Ponceña and Fania All Stars, as well as superb backing singers. Another impressive collaborative album from one of Spain's best crossover artists.