Tucson-Habana

Since 1997, Amparanoia have built up a small but fervent following with a sound that combines Spanish agit–pop of the Mano Negra variety, the massed emotion of Latin American football–chant folk–rock and the folksy kitsch of modern mariachi. For her solo debut, Granada–born singer Amparo Sánchez has swapped her usual gutsy vocals for a more muted, personal style. The musical backdrop has changed accordingly. Joey Burns and John Convertino, the two lead men in Tucson– based alt–country band Calexico, provide a desert soundscape of slide–guitar, expansive reverb and trilled chords. Opener ‘Aquí Estoy’ could easily be one of their own Tex–Mex fusions. Track two, ‘Hoja en Blanco’, finds Sanchez on more familiar territory, pouring out a streaming narrative with her big, bold voice, all Spanish passion and treacly pronunciation. But track three, ‘Corazón de la Realidad, is a fascinating conflation of sensibilities, with the lead vocals giving way first to a sublimely sad Mexican trumpet, and then a chorus of plaintive male singers. There’s possibly a hint of nueva trova in there, but Cuba comes to the fore fully on ‘Turista Accidental’ and Apagón en La Havana’ and a stirring duet with BVSC star Omara Portuondo, ‘La Parrandita de las Santas’. Throughout, though, this is a mellower Sánchez, exploring influences such as Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, and may appeal to both Latin and mestizo listeners who found Amparanoia a tad too abrasive.