Américas (album)
| Américas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Genre | Latin jazz,[1] flamenco | |||
| Label | Mesa[2] | |||
| Producer | Jorge Strunz, Ardeshir Farah | |||
| Strunz & Farah chronology | ||||
| ||||
Américas is an album by the musical duo Strunz & Farah, released in 1992.[3][4] They supported the album with a North American tour.[1] Strunz & Farah promoted the album as "'a celebration of five centuries of Spanish guitar in the Americas.'"[5] Although often referred to as a flamenco duo, Jorge Strunz felt that the designation did not account for the Latin American influences.[6]
The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best World Music Album".[7] It sold around 500,000 copies and peaked in the top five of Billboard's World Music Albums chart.[8][9] Américas was a hit on adult contemporary music radio formats.[10]
Production[edit]
The album was produced by Jorge Strunz and Ardeshir Farah.[11] Most of its songs were written by Strunz; he was influenced by Mario Escudero and Sabicas and the Latin music of his youth.[12][13] The duo played Pedro Maldonado flamenco guitars.[6]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Boston Herald | B+[5] |
| The Indianapolis Star | [15] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide |  [8] |
The Indianapolis Star wrote that "the music is seamless ... Strunz and Farah's sounds turn magical when they're speedily playing the same notes (as in short snippets in 'Balada')."[15] The Los Angeles Times determined that "the two guitarists have finally found the right balance between compositional interest, bubbling Latin-based rhythms and distinctive, ear-pleasing solos."[16]
Guitar Player lamented that the album "suffers from a sanitized production, a sonic politeness at odds with Spanish guitar's visceral impact."[17] The Boston Globe noted that "flamenco ... works as the unifying thread."[12] The Houston Chronicle stated that the duo "again draw from the distantly-related traditions of Spanish flamenco, Afro-Cuban salsa (and similar Latin folk forms) and middle Eastern music."[18]
AllMusic wrote that the album "melds the flair, dexterity and cultural roots of their combined Latin American and Middle Eastern heritages with the surrounding septet of tremendous musicians."[14]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Caracol" | |
| 2. | "Jaguar" | |
| 3. | "Candela" | |
| 4. | "Alas del Sur (Wings of the South)" | |
| 5. | "Américas" | |
| 6. | "Luna Suave (Soft Moon)" | |
| 7. | "Balada (For Heideh)" | |
| 8. | "Gypsy Earrings" | |
| 9. | "Rayo" | |
| 10. | "Selva" |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Lepage, Mark (5 July 1992). "Hispanic guitar transports audience to higher plane". The Gazette. Montreal. p. F3.
- ^ Taylor, Timothy Dean; Taylor, John D. (August 3, 1997). Global Pop: World Music, World Markets. Psychology Press.
- ^ Holston, Mark (1992). "Music Notes — Americas by Strunz & Farah". Americas. Vol. 44, no. 4. p. 56.
- ^ Mackie, John (20 June 1992). "World music niche fits Strunz and Farah". Vancouver Sun. p. E10.
- ^ a b Katz, Larry (September 4, 1992). "Discs". Boston Herald. p. S8.
- ^ a b Beal, Jr., Jim (October 23, 1992). "Strunz & Farah a global duo". San Antonio Express-News. p. 20H.
- ^ "Strunz And Farah". Recording Academy. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 740.
- ^ "World Music Albums". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 26. Jun 27, 1992. p. 44.
- ^ Shuster, Fred (October 16, 1992). "Strunz & Farah Finally Get Their Chance to Make Waves". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L28.
- ^ "Album Reviews — Americas by Strunz & Farah". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 23. Jun 6, 1992. p. 45.
- ^ a b Gonzalez, Fernando (10 Sep 1992). "Strunz, Farah: Fascinating mishmash". Arts & Film. The Boston Globe. p. 87.
- ^ Buchholz, Brad (October 19, 1992). "A two-guitar chorus of cultures – Strunz & Farah's music defies easy categorization". The Dallas Morning News. p. 1C.
- ^ a b "Strunz & Farah Americas". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Wolf, Judy (22 June 1992). "Strunz & Farah Americas". The Indianapolis Star. p. D2.
- ^ Stewart, Zan (31 July 1992). "In the Bins". Los Angeles Times. p. F21.
- ^ "Audio – Americas by Strunz and Farah". Guitar Player. Vol. 26, no. 9. Sep 1992. p. 127.
- ^ Mitchell, Rick (May 24, 1992). "'Americas' Strunz and Farah". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 15.