A Mis Hermanos

Since winning his first singing prize back in 1970, Diego Clavel has steadily gained an admiring audience both inside Spain's flamenco scene and beyond. With the 24 tracks of A Mis Hermanos (To My Brothers) he says he is finally signing off his recording career. If this is definitely the case, his records will be missed. Because, whether he's intoning a delicate, Cuban-influenced guajira, a frantic bulerias or a quasi-religious song style (‘De Que me Sirve Tener’), Clavel brings depth and intensity to his delivery, but also exhibits a great sense of balance and proportion. Even his most emotive displays evince magisterial control, as on ‘Tus Ojitos me Miraron’ – an impassioned song about being abandoned by a lover, in which his vocal exertions seem about to explode but are always finally held back. Guitarists Antonio Carrión and Manuel Herrera are more than capable foils, providing assertive, crisp ornaments beneath and around the vocal athletics and knowing exactly when the song demands a more melodious turn. The palmas (hand clapping) players do a fine job too, and the producers have given the whole album the polish it deserves. For those who have yet to discover Clavel, this double album is a rich fiesta of music, demonstrating both the range and intensity of contemporary flamenco.