Customer Reviews

Os Amores Libres

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am A Highland Bagpiper of 6 years. I learn something new every day. About two years ago while browsing in tower records, I saw a CD with an unusual name for a Piper. I asked one of my fellow Bandsmen who this "Carlos Nunez" was. He told me that Carlos plays the Galician Bagpipes and hails from the Celtic region of Spain. I immediately went out and bought the CD, and as most eager to learn about Galicia and it's Celtic Music and culture. I also purchased "Santiago" by the Chietains which also features Carlos on it. "Brotherhood of Stars", "Santiago" and now Os Amores Libres" have enriched my understanding of the Celtic music and culture that I had until recently believed was only limited to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany. "Os Amores Libres" combines flamenco, Gypsy, Galician, and the traditional sounds of Ireland, and Scotland as well. I truly enjoyed every track on this compilation and will treasure it for years to come. Carlos Nunez is a great Piper and a very gifted musician as well. When people ask me who my favorite Piper is and where he is from, they are surprised to find out his name is Carlos Nunez and he lives in Spain. I enjoy how Carlos collaborates with other Spanish, Irish, American, and Latin American Musicians. It is this way that Carlos demonstrates how Galician Music has influenced more traditional Latin American forms. Hope to see Carlos Nunez collaborate with the likes of maybe Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Calos Santana ect. Little do they know that there music too has it's roots in the "Undiscovered Celtic Nation".

I LIVED IN SPAIN FOR 2 YEARS AND ITS A MIX OF CELTIC AND "OTHER" INFLUENCES BUT MOST OF ALL ITS THAT WHAT MAKES SPAIN SOOO STRIKING !!! IN THE NORTH, VERY CELTIC........MANY PEOPLE MUST
REALIZE THAT AT ONE TIME SPAIN WAS KNOWN AS "CELITIBERIA"
AND THAT THE FIRST INHABITANT OF WHAT WE KNOW AS "IRELAND" WERE
FROM CELTIBERIA ! AS ANCIENT HISTORY PROCLAIMS !!! A WONDERFUL MIXES OF MUSIC FROM SPAIN ! TOTALLY AWESOME ALBUM !

As with his first solo release, Brotherhood of Stars, Carlos surrounds himself once again with an impressive array of musicians from different corners of the world. His interests also continue to reach beyond Galician music, into flamenco and other forms. Yet where Brotherhood produced an overall flat final result, this new release has an energy that shines through the overwrought musical hodgepodge of styles. Carlos' flute and whistle playing is very expressive this time, and forms an anchor for many of the tracks. There's also some nice piping, though only two tracks where he really cuts loose on them. They are still used effectively elsewhere. And even though I lean heavily towards the instrumental side of celtic music, there are some real nice songs here. Maria Solina is a very pretty, sad tune, sung with heart wrenching emotion. It's directly followed by A Orillas del Rio Sil, which offers a strong contrast with its lusty vocal and jumpy production. The last track is also very interesting. Running over 13 minutes it's a collection of themes reminiscent of some of Paddy Moloney's compositions. Overall this release could be more focused and there is a constant reliance on collaboration with guest stars, but Carlos' spirited playing makes it all worthwhile this time.

Very enjoyable (knew his playing from the Chieftain's "Santiago") with an interesting mix of musicians on board.

As a fellow Galician piper myself I must admit that Carlos is one of the best. I met him in person once not knowing who he was at the time. I feel that he does a lot of exploration contrary to the other reviews. If people were familiar with Galician music they would see he does do different things. I am glad he is making it in the world and hopefully he will do great. His third album not listed here is great too.

Carlos Nunez is a tremendously talented piper, but the Chieftains appear to have left him with the idea that more is better when it comes to loading an album with as many musical collaborators as possible. "Os Amores Libres" takes this to the point of overkill, with over 75 musicians on just 12 tracks. Some of the choices left me scratching my head. Having Jackson Browne singing here is stretching it, in my view. With dozens of artists this CD ends up sounding like a hodgepodge by the end, and it's easy to lose track of Carlos himself. This album is technically very well executed, but there's little feel or spontaneity. It's not that I don't like it - the first half is really quite good - but there are just way too many players on this CD and not all of them fit in. This would have been a much better album if Carlos had kept his collaborators to a reasonable number and let his own talent shine through.

I first heard Carlos Nunez at a Chieftians concert several years ago. I love this CD. Rich galacian music that stirs the heart.

Cuando uno ha podido escuchar "Hermandad de las Estrellas" uno se queda maravillado ante la calidad interpretativa del artista; sin embargo, esta segunda producción deja mucho que desear. Carlos utiliza la gaita en sólo dos canciones, lo cual nos indica como van las cosas, las canciones son poco profundas y por querer abarcar mucho (demasiados ritmos) aprieta poco, y nos brinda con un mal sabor en la boca y con un disco mediocre para lo que nos tiene acostumbrados Carlos Nuñez. Una gran oportunidad perdida.