Nicholas Kenyon 

Diego el Cigala: Cigala & Tango – review

Spanish flamenco singer Diego el Cigala brings out the passion of tango in this recording made with Argentinian musicians, writes Nicholas Kenyon
  
  


Flamenco has been commercialised for years, and the charismatic singer Diego el Cigala now heightens the odds by aiming to fuse Spanish flamenco with the equally gritty and powerful South American tango. The resulting disc, atmospherically recorded live in Buenos Aires with Argentinian musicians (though short at only 45 minutes) is electrifying. El Cigala has an elementally expressive voice which in the first few numbers seems over-smooth, the music too ballad-like. But gradually the genuine passion and fierceness of flamenco emerges, and by track nine, "Youkali", there is a full-blown tribute to Piazzolla's tangos with a searing toughness and directness.

 

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