Picasso en Mis Ojos Audio CD – Import, November 29, 2005

As a leading star among contemporary cantaors, Diego el Cigala has gathered some young shining lights to support his performance in this spendid, cheerful album. Guitarists vary with track: Paco de Lucía and Tomatito are recognized for their pioneering innovations in jazzy flamenco nuevo; Diego Morao (son of Moraíto Chico) and Manuel Parrilla (son of Juan Parrilla) come from great musical families in Jerez de la Frontera; and Josemi Carmona is the son of Pepe Habichuela. On the first track Bernardo Parrilla, brother of Manuel, plays violin. The music is bright and lively, as we hear tangos, bulerías, alegría-mirabras, a rumba, and a fandango. Even the last track, a soleá, is taken fast and painless and includes a muted jazz trumpet. Chorus and palmas emphasize rhythm and excitement. Diego himself sings with the characteristic strained flamenco voice, consistent and with excellent phrasing. Lyrics in Spanish are provided. No deep, slow, serious tunes will be found here. This album is fully contemporary but sufficiently traditional in scope and style to be accepted by purists, particularly considering the more traditional guitarists, such as Parrilla. Like many modern flamenco records, this one is short, merely 37 minutes in duration.

Great songs. Unique style.

i love it

Very nice music. This one was not on iTunes. I love this music of Diego El Cigala.Thank you,very nice.

This is a very nice album by Diego el Cigala. It was a great addition to my collection. I recommend it to lovers of spanish modern music.

It is really good for those who enjoy this kind of special and lovely music.

I like this CD. I think that if you have a problem with the more traditional sound of flamenco singers, as the previous reviewer stated, then yes, you might not like this. Diego's voice sounds a bit more nasal, but nonetheless he is able to get across passion and fire where necessary. Lagrimas Negras is one of my absolute favorites of all time, but I would not compare that work to something like this. Those songs required his voice to go deeper so that he could hit the higher notes on some of the songs. You'll see what I mean if you watch the making of Lagrimas Negras on the Blanco y Negro DVD.I would recommend this CD.

This is one of the most gorgeous, musically layered CDs to come out in years, bar none. I've listened to it hundreds of times and not only never tire of it, I hear more and more each time. The mix of flamenco and European jazz is seemless and artful, and the Picasso concept takes the work to yet another level. Do not expect more of what you hear in "Lagrimas Negras". That CD was a clever cross-pollination of two artists from different yet related musical genres, but weighted heavily on the traditional Cuban bolero side. "Picasso en Mis Ojos" is Diego El Cigala doing what Diego does best, which is nuevo Flamenco. The music in this CD expands the boundaries of flamenco by weaving it with an amazing pallet of musical textures and feels, mostly jazz inspired, yielding an amazingly fresh pallet of materials. The musicianship in the band is stunning-- the inner lines of instrumental writing and performance and the colors it yields are as good as it gets. And then there's Diego's singing, which I have always loved, passionate, crying, loving, talking, floating above and diving into the musical fabric of these songs. The other reviewers here on the Amazon site who express disappointment clearly wanted more "Lagrimas Negras" and don't seem to understand how much better a work "Picasso en Mis Ojos" actually is. Don't let their comments sway you into missing out on a great great work.

Excellent