Una Ronda Més

Una Ronda Més (One More Round) is the third album from Fenya Rai who hail from Valls, south-west of Barcelona. On this release the quartet focus on interpreting traditional troubadour songs, which have been collected in the Catalan Cançoner [a 14th-century manuscript]. Aside some minor studio tweaks, the main instrumentation is button accordion and electric bass. The singing is clear and strong, but there is a lack of variation in mood and tempo and the overall feel is like a local band in a country pub. The character of Una Ronda Més could be called ‘ribald’, although even this is polite for songs such as ‘Oda a la Merda’ (Ode to Shit), and the lack of English translations may be a blessing. Far from a musicologist’s investigation into folkloric traditions, these songs from Fenya Rai clomp along with a relentless, backslapping jollity which starts to become tedious after a while. Like an over-friendly stranger after a couple of rounds too many.