The Rough Guide to Flamenco

It is a huge challenge to do justice to an entire culture with a single CD. You have to decide whether to dig deep or range widely and this 13-track compilation and bonus CD opt for the latter. The variety here is the principal selling point: from the flamenco jazz of Jorge Pardo and Agustín Carbonell to the dub sounds of La Xula (who have shades of Les Negresses Vertes). There is canto (singing) from Londro and toque (guitar) from Carlos Piñana. However, the only really major name here is Carmen Linares, and most of the traditional styles are presented here in decaffeinated versions.

There are two serious criticisms to be made. Firstly, the absence of any of the current crop of guitarist-innovators, which spans at least two generations, is unforgiveable. Secondly, the liner notes have the depth and insight of a holiday brochure. Flamenco is in a permanent state of evolution, but there is a difference between innovating from within the tradition and borrowing flamenco modes to spice up whatever else you have around. This is an entertaining opportunity to hear how far conceptions of flamenco can be stretched – and the bonus album from Al Toque Flamenco makes this a bargain package. But there is a sense that a drop of the hard stuff was thought to be too much for most novices.