Customer Reviews

Steve Stevens: Flamenco A Go-Go

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Don't be fooled by the title. While the music does have a flamenco sound to it, the pieces often rock very hard, and even the slower numbers or more traditional numbers have explosive moments and amazing guitar work as their underpinning. I first heard the song Our Man In Istanbul on a Warren Miller DVD and was instantly hooked. The sonic dynamics on this CD are incredible, and you will want a lot of this stuff on your MP3 players when you go skiing, boarding, jogging or biking at a fast clip. It is uplifting, stimulating and beautiful all at once. I strongly recommend this CD!

While scanning the Latin/Flamenco/World Beat section, I stumbled upon Steve Stevens' "Flamenco.A.Go.Go." I wondered what a rock/punk/new wave guitarist can do in this genre. The answer is give one of the most original & cutting-edge interpretations. Each song is distinctly different from the rest. The title song jumps out of the gates with six-guns a'blazin'. "Our Man in Istanbul," as the title eludes, weaves a tapestry of mystery and intrigue. Steve heads to the Middle East with "Hanina," which is mildly reminiscent of Shahin & Sepehr, but made me feel like dancing with a bunch of people in a circle of interlocked arms. Stevens slows it down for some other pieces, but here is where his ability really shines as he adds a lot of feeling while his fingers dance through the scales. Stevens even sprinkles techno-pop throughout the CD. Stevens' background certainly gives him a unique perspective compared to his new peers and therefore a distinct intensity and fire. Looks like I'll have to add Stevens to my "automatic-buy" list of Strunz & Farah, Marc Antoine, etc. Hopefully this wasn't a one-time experiment for Stevens.

I know Steve Stevens formBilly Idol and then fromvery good album from Atomic Playboys. Steve was alwaysa good guitar palyer among many.This album just blew me away.From so many flamenco guitarcd's i have this has to be the best ever heard. Steve has proven to have a great ear for melody and lighting fast fingesrs. Give this album a chance, you will not be sorry.

To the couple of people who gave this CD negative reviews because they felt that it's not "real" flamenco -- who said it would be, and why did you think so? The title ("Flamenco.a.go.go") should have tipped you off, if not the history of the guitarist. The rest of you are right on. Here's my opinion.

If you come at it without expectations, you will be blown away. Superb production, mixing, effects, and other whiz-bang stuff aside, there is a ton of virtuoso guitar work, and -- most important -- melodies that will burrow into your head and run up and down your spine as shivers: "Cinecita" and "Letter to a Memory" (both of which are reminiscent of the kind of work he did on "Wood and Steel") in particular. Even songs like "Our Man in Istanbul" and "Hanina", which are full of spoken word inserts and electronic effects, are laced with virtuoso guitar work; "Our Man" is dripping with atmosphere, as well, incredibly evocative of mystery and exotic settings.

Listen to several of the sample tracks, and you'll see what I mean. Count on it to grow on you the more you play it, too.

Do not be surprised. Steve does not use electric guitars at all in this album. However, he proves that his passion can be expressed by acorstic guitar. Rather his A-guitar playing is a better way to present his brilliant guitar technique.

The variation of each tune makes us happy, too.

This should be the masterpiece.

I SO love this disc. It's everything I'd hoped for: provocative ideas, gorgeous melodies, patented Stevens playfulness, and of course, staggeringly proficient technical skill. I'd like to talk about it, but I warn you, I'm biased: it's been awhile since I was this drunk on a record.

As the title implies, it's very much an exotic journey through Spain and ports beyond (on the hypnotic "Velvet Cage" you can almost smell the sandalwood and ambergris). The James-Bond-movie- in-a-song "Our Man in Istanbul" and the title track are great fun, as is the seriously weird "Feminova". "Hanina", with its Spanish lyric, is the most traditionally flamenco-y of the disc, but don't for a second think it falls into any cliche's: just when you think you know where the song is going, you don't. (This is a record that keeps you on your toes.) There are songs that have irrevocably captured my heart: the elegiac "Cinecitta", the gloriously romantic "Twilight in Your Hands". And then there's the show-stopping "Dementia", with its accompanying MPEG video file...Stevens is on record as saying he's not known for being a virtuoso. This track certainly belies THAT false modesty!*

If you love innovative music, get this. If you love guitar music, get this. And if you made Stevens' aquaintance back in the Idol days and thought there was more to the boy, get this. See how right you were.

*And it contains a very nice little sonic moment which can only be described, as a guitargasm.

First, this is NOT a flamenco album, there are influences of flemenco. Having said that, this is another album that I bought on the strength of the title track and was pleasently surprised at the wide range of diverse moods of the album. Stevens surprised me with this one. The second track "Cinecitta" is one that I really like. It's smooth and has a laid-back quality without being background music. There is some flashy playing but only where the mood of the song calls for it.

As a bonus, there is an enhanced CD section where you can see him playing Dementia live, although that is probably the only song that I listened the whole way (skipped through it the first few times) through AFTER watching him play. It's one of those songs that sounds ethereal and jaw-dropping when seen live, but you may find it hard to swallow on the first listen if you don't like that kind of thing. I'm a guitar freak so I DO happen to like that kind of playing.

This album has it all; great playing, diverse and great songs. This is one album that I am so glad I stumbled upon and would recommend to anyone I know (and I have).

Stevens does a superb job at fusing trance-like, ambient sounds with spanish guitar and spiritually-driven chords.

This cd will lift you up and make you dance just as easily as it will make you float away above a river of eclectic progressive music.

Different, sensual, energetic, passionate, a keeper for lovers of everything from ibiza dance, to rock and roll, to ambient.

I've always liked flamenco music but it's never hit me quite like Flamenco A Go Go. Man this guy can play! From the sweet melody lines to the lightning fast licks, i'm sold. Our Man In Istanbul is a killer. I loved the music start to finish. Check this cd out. If you are a fan of superb guitar playing, do not miss this one.

I have heard quite a few flamenco cd's in my time and never have I heard flamenco that is played with such passion. Yes, I have heard the gypsy kings, Jesse Cook and others and feel that they lack the vision and artistry that steve Stevens brings forth on this new album. I like this album because every song doesnt sound alike. I was truely amazed at how controlled his playing and style come across on this cd. It is a unique take on flamenco and I would suggest adding this one to your cd collection. You will be pleasantly surprised......