La Recia

Harpist Carlos ‘Cuco’ Rojas and singer Ana Veydó formed Cimarrón in 2000 with the aim of getting the music of the llanos (the plains region of Colombia and Venezuela) on to the world music stage. They undoubtedly succeeded, becoming an international emblem for the music, renowned for their interplay between bandola, tiple and harp, and a live show full of breakneck solos and fiery stomp dancing. Sadly, Rojas passed away at the beginning of 2020, leaving Veydó in charge, and she struggles to build on their 2019 album Orinoco.

One of the biggest misses is Rojas himself, as can be heard when they revisit two tracks from their 2011 album ¡Cimarron!, ‘Cimarroneando’ and ‘El Gavilán’, both of which severely lack the sprightly energy of Rojas’ harp. Considering that they also revisit ‘Parranda Quitapesares’ from their previous album, and one track is a short vocal interlude, there are only five new compositions, though of those ‘Velorio’ does mark itself out for its brooding cello and vocal harmonies, and ‘Pajarillo de la Noche’ has the bombastic intensity of Rodrigo y Gabriela, but the album as a whole feels flat, lacking the inspiration of their previous work. Continuing without Rojas was never going to be easy.