Espiral

Since shaking off the nationalism of the Franco era, flamenco has looked in many directions to reclaim its roots and decide on its future direction. Spanish singer-songwriter Josefina Gómez Llorente, aka La Jose, has teamed up with well-known pop producer Victor Iniesta for an album that attempts to reflect the journey of Iberia's best-known music from India, via Egypt, to Andalucía.

Featuring the Indian veena and Egyptian ney, as well as the oud, piano, tablas, palmas (clapping), and Spanish and Asian percussion, Espiral struggles to find room for that trusty old staple, the guitar. When it does, as on ‘Creo’ – on which Miguel Campello shares the vocals – the sound is rather more middle-of-the-road than flamenco. An accessible, catchy, and impeccably recorded disc, with a diversity and eclecticism that is perfectly matched to La Jose's rich vocal timbre, Espiral is easy to like but lacking in standout songs, and with little sense of the great musical odyssey it claims to celebrate.