Américas (album)

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Américas
Studio album by
Strunz & Farah
Released1992
GenreLatin jazz,[1] flamenco
LabelMesa Recordings[2]
ProducerJorge Strunz, Ardeshir Farah
Strunz & Farah chronology
Primal Magic
(1990) 		Américas
(1992) 		Heat of the Sun
(1995)

Américas is an album by the musical duo Strunz & Farah, released in 1992.[3][4] The duo 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, in the "Best World Music Album" category.[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]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Boston HeraldB+[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.TitleLength
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]

  1. ^ a b Lepage, Mark (5 July 1992). "Hispanic guitar transports audience to higher plane". The Gazette. Montreal. p. F3.
  2. ^ Taylor, Timothy Dean; Taylor, John D. (August 3, 1997). "Global Pop: World Music, World Markets". Psychology Press – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Holston, Mark (1992). "Music Notes — Americas by Strunz & Farah". Americas. 44 (4): 56.
  4. ^ Mackie, John (20 June 1992). "World music niche fits Strunz and Farah". Vancouver Sun. p. E10.
  5. ^ a b Katz, Larry (September 4, 1992). "DISCS". Boston Herald. p. S8.
  6. ^ a b Beal, Jr., Jim (October 23, 1992). "Strunz & Farah a global duo". San Antonio Express-News. p. 20H.
  7. ^ "Strunz And Farah". Recording Academy. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  8. ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 740.
  9. ^ "World Music Albums". Billboard. 104 (26): 44. Jun 27, 1992.
  10. ^ Shuster, Fred (October 16, 1992). "STRUNZ & FARAH FINALLY GET THEIR CHANCE TO MAKE WAVES". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L28.
  11. ^ "Album Reviews — Americas by Strunz & Farah". Billboard. 104 (23): 45. Jun 6, 1992.
  12. ^ a b Gonzalez, Fernando (10 Sep 1992). "Strunz, Farah: Fascinating mishmash". ARTS & FILM. The Boston Globe. p. 87.
  13. ^ Buchholz, Brad (October 19, 1992). "A two-guitar chorus of cultures – Strunz & Farah's music defies easy categorization". The Dallas Morning News. p. 1C.
  14. ^ a b "Strunz & Farah - Americas Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  15. ^ a b Wolf, Judy (22 June 1992). "Strunz & Farah Americas". The Indianapolis Star. p. D2.
  16. ^ Stewart, Zan (31 July 1992). "In the Bins". Los Angeles Times. p. F21.
  17. ^ "Audio – Americas by Strunz and Farah". Guitar Player. 26 (9): 127. Sep 1992.
  18. ^ Mitchell, Rick (May 24, 1992). "'Americas' Strunz and Farah". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 15.
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