Amatoria

Federico Aubele | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 19, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Eighteenth Street
• ASIN: B001Y8WASM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,547 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #73 in Music > Latin Music > Urban > Latin Electronica

Editorial Reviews

Amatoria is Federico Aubele's newest and most personal album yet. Inspired by the classic and passionate sounds of bolero and Argentinian tango, Aubele infuses his distinctive Spanish guitar sound with sultry vocals and subtle electronic beats to create a unique collage of intimate love songs. Entirely self-produced, Amatoria features vocal collaborations with Natalia Clavier, Sabina Sciubba of The Brazilian Girls and Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good album - not great, but good, June 1, 2009

By 

Daxter H. Gulje "/dax" (Santa Barbara, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amatoria (Audio CD)

Any time ESL offers up a new release from their stable of incredibly talented bands, I get extremely excited - none more so than for Federico Aubele (and maybe Thievery).

See my earlier review for Gran Hotel Buenos Aires to get a feel for my opinion on his music (Panamericana holds similar status in my view, if that helps).

Amatoria is a decent album from a very talented musician, and after taking it out for a spin, I can say - for me - it is not of the same caliber as his previous offerings.

Another reviewer here notes the use of his own vocals instead of the primarily female-driven sounds of his earlier albums. While I don't think he's a terrible singer, I do feel that in doing so, much of that hypnotic, enchanting sound/feel was lost.

This album is also quite a bit slower/sleepier than his other two...more siesta-ish strumming, almost lackadaisical in its presentation. And this isn't necessarily a "bad" thing, it's just...different, and probably not what the majority of his fans were expecting from a follow-up record.

His singing and slower pacing combine to deliver an album that is pleasant to listen to, and quite a bit more South American in feel to it (somehow his other releases feel like they fuse many styles together, while this is primarily Argentine guitar and vocals only).

I'll close by noting that an unfortunate side effect of starred-review systems is that people tend to default to one rating or another (5 if you like it, 1 if you don't). I enjoy the granularity of multiple options, which is why this album earns 3-stars from me - there is absolutely nothing "wrong" with it...this album is "good", whereas I feel that his first two are truly "great", and I'm still looking forward to the next release!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disapointing!!!, August 18, 2009

By 

Gustavo Martin (Caracas, Venezuela) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amatoria (Audio CD)

Federico lost his own and particular style in this album! Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Thievery Corporation is no longer the producer of his music. Panamericana & Gran Hotel Buenos Aires are, by far, better albums than this... Please Federico, back to the roots!!! Amatoria sounds like Miguel Bose's drama songs...

I've still great expectations for your future music!!!

4.0 out of 5 stars Federico Aubele - Amatoria, May 16, 2011

By 

scoundrel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amatoria (Audio CD)

With _Amatoria_, Federico Aubele delves deeper into dub than before -- the opening track, "Luna Y Sol" is like a slow Spanish reggae, while "Suena Mi Guitarra" picks up the speed a slight bit. He announces in the liner notes that `no keyboards were used in this album,' and as a result there's certainly more of an organic, acoustic feel to it -- aside from the programmed beats, that is. Aubele also takes vocal duties front and center, and his pitch sounds much more consistent than on his previous album (though "El Sabor" has some issues). Natalie Clavier, however, does make a welcome appearance on "Este Amor," a swooning love song, while "Hermosa" has what sounds like a lap steel guitar whinnying in the background for a delicate tone. "Del Ayer" and "Sempre Nueva" bring back sharper beats, though they're not as pronounced as earlier. The final, title track is a low-key instrumental, a perfect closer for yet another new direction for Aubele.