Manual de Romería

For some years now, Rodrigo Cuevas has been living in a little village in Asturias, retreating from contact with big city life. One could say that he follows a similar road with his music: he is deeply invested in researching traditional songs from the Spanish regions of Asturias, Galicia and Leon, looking for those who still sing the way they were taught by their elders (and four of them even make it to Manual de Romería, through Cuevas’ own field recordings). That is Cuevas’ inward movement. Then comes the outward.

And the outward movement in this case means that building on top of those fragments of tradition, Cuevas instils new life into these melodies, lyrics and structures from the past, resorting to electronics and pop music codes. After Manual de Cortejo, an album dedicated to courtship, he now explores the power in popular gatherings and upholds partying as a way of celebrating and fulfilling every single right over our bodies. Putting Eduardo Cabra (from Calle 13) in the producer seat, Cuevas creates a masterpiece of tradition updated and dance oriented, as in ‘CÓMO YE?!’, weaving different songs into a single piece in ‘CASARES’, singing about birds with the help of the Corsican vocal group A Filetta, flirting with operatic voices in ‘YO NUN SOI MARINERU’ or giving Asturian tradition a glorious sensual anthem in ‘MÁS ANIMAL (feat iLe)’.

A stunning triumph.