Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra - Viva

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Free Music Notes for Viva

Free Music Review: Not flamenco, not innovative, but not bad
Hit: 3 Stars

This music is not flamenco, and if you're thinking you're expanding your cultural horizons by playing this, you're not; you're still very safe within the realms of white bread suburban America. This album and Liebert's music is far closer to chicken salad than it is to paella.

As mentioned elsewhere, ... I fear, though, that these characters might scare you away if you find Liebert to be innovative and emotional. These guys bleed flamenco. Liebert is lifeless compared to these guys.

Liebert is as innovative as Kenny G is to jazz. They both play fluff, BUT that's not entirely bad. Their music is melodic, soothing and inviting. In artistic terms, it's safe, but this also means it won't challenge you in any way. But let's face it, after grinding it out during the week, some of us just want to hear some nice, safe music. This is it!

As the great Duke Ellington once said: "if it sounds good, it is good." Who am I to argue with the greatest American composer? I play this disc, and everyone likes it: my toddler son, my asian wife, my ex green beret dad, his Iranian friend, my Mexican and Cuban neighbors, my born again Christian employee, and my zen Buddhist buddy. Everyone says "Who is this?" People like the tunes, most notably Barcelona Nights and Santa Fe. I guess if I had a hard core flamenco fan with an axe to grind, he or she might not get all mushy over this music, but being melodic and non-intrusive, again, safe, this music is a crowd pleaser.

This is great music to play for dinner guests, barbecues, or for drinking lots of wine to, BUT, like drinking, should be taken with moderation, lest your brain turn to mush like muzak does. Lots of this is because of the unnecessary synthesizers throughout the album.

That new agey stuff really waters down any spanish flair Liebert exhibits. His musical skills don't need the padding of the lame synthesizers. I'd prefer he just showed up with his six string and a couple buddies, plugged in their guitars and jammed, making some sweet tunes without any over production. His playing can stand on its own, but he'd probably lose listeners who need to be spoon fed their emotion, which synthesizers can do.

In the end, I like the CD, but I don't love it in the sense that it's a spiritual awakening, or flamenco, or emotional. It's none of that. But it is good, sweet music.

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