Rodrigo y Gabriela [Vinyl]

A friend posted a Youtube link on my Facebook page for Rodrigo y Gabriela. It was someone's video of an outdoor "busk" with two guitarists playing Nuevo flamenco style, the woman guitarist using her guitar for percussion and accompaniment to the man's melodic part. The crowd was loving this. (Not only for the music, but the comely and talented woman guitarist had on no pants--just very short shorts. Rather startling. I always wear pants so I don't stick to the guitar....)So I read the comments and lo, the pair were Rodrigo y Gabriela, a Mexican duo and this was in Dublin where they got their start, first busking in the streets of Europe but then getting festival and concert gigs. Now, they are big stuff and they tour all over the world. This busking session was in fact, a tribute to their start in Dublin and collecting funds for a local animal shelter (they are devotedly vegan.)So I got the CD and the first cut on this album is the same as in the Youtube video, "Tamacun" --a very catchy Mexi-Flamenco tune with an engaging and complicated beat. The rest of the album is also quite good--a cover of "Stairway to Heaven"--as a jazz meditation, and "Orion" which is hard to describe but good to sit back and listen to.The CD set consists of a CD and a bonus DVD.If you like Jesse Cook or Ottmar Liebert, you'll love this. Meanwhile, go look them up on Youtube. Enjoy.

I first heard about Rodrigo y Gabriela a few years ago when I read an article about them in a music magazine, and saw the video for Diablo Rojo soon after. I was blown away to see a Spanish guitar track get a music video, played on a major network at that. But what really got me was the music- that track was crazy. It wasn't the best guitar work I've ever heard by any means, but coming from two fairly young kids, I was impressed. Only recently did I decide to give in and buy their album, and I have to say that the whole album is very good, and if you like Spanish guitar or even Latin jazz, you should get this. The only other album of theirs that I have is 11:11, and I can easily say that this is a great introduction to the dynamic duo.99% of the music on here is just Rodrigo and Gabriela, with Rodrigo doing some very fine lead work and Gabriela providing equally fine rhythm work while at the same time beating on her guitar as if it were a percussion instrument. To be fair, the only way to understand what these two are doing is to either watch a music video of theirs or listen to a sample, though I highly recommend seeing a video so you can see that what they're playing is done in real-time, with nothing edited in. This album kicks off with a bang with Tamacun and then it continues with Diablo Rojo. Vikingman has a fun bit involving radio tuning to make it seem like the station changes, which is where the music style changes. The tracks that follow are all pretty good, including covers of Metallica's Orion and Led Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven. Rodrigo and Gabriela manage to do covers of these songs and really make them their own.My reason for giving this album 4 stars instead of 5 is because, while I do enjoy every track on here (a few more than others), there's not much diversity. A lot of the time it seems like the duo is going 'hey, look how fast we can play', and other times they stop playing for a second, then start playing for another minute or two before the track's really over. It got a little old. I would've liked even just one slower track where crazy palm muting and guitar beating wasn't the focus. There are a few tracks where they'll start playing slower, but kick back into gear in no time. But as it is, I can't see anyone who doesn't like Spanish guitar music hating this album. Do yourself a favor and watch live performances of Tamacun and Juan Loco, and if you like those, go ahead and buy the album without worry. I'm glad I bought this album and hope their newer work takes things to a higher level. This is the kind of album that makes me want to start playing guitar again.

I discovered this group after they came up in some music results while searching for the song Metallica song "Orion" to listen to online. Immediately, I was impressed with their version of the cover that I started looking for more of their music. Over time, I realized I wanted to have their first album for myself as I prefer listening to music that doesn't have an audience or crowd making noise in the background (as it is in some of their live performance recording albums). It's amazing how just two people with Spanish guitars can create such beautifully relaxing yet energizing music.My only disappointment with this album is the fact that the Amazon MP3 store does not have this album encoded yet, otherwise I would have bought from the MP3 store. But, it does come with a DVD that you can watch them perform and learn how to do some of the songs apparently (***disclaimer, I haven't watched the DVD yet, just too busy, and besides, I can't play a guitar).Regardless if you enjoy bonuses like that or not, this album is perfect for music lovers who want to listen to something genuine that was created with true raw talent with a little metal and south of the border influence. Hard to go wrong with this purchase.

I learned about this pair when my local radio station (KFOG) started playing Tamacun, and I found myself turning up the volume every time the song came on. Just love it.So, the album has eight other songs, and - behold - they all stand up. Each one is interesting, passionate, energetic, and unique. In all, a great album, one I plan on listening to until the disc turns to dust.Now, this ablum comes with a DVD that shows Rod & Gab playing, and even has a "tutorial," where they explain how they play Tamacun in excrutiating detail. It's fascinating, and after watching, I felt admiration at their mastery of their instruments, but that's not all that goes into the music. The songs are lyrical, even without lyrics, and I am in awe of their skill and art.In short, this is a terrific album that defies definition.

I've owned this album on CD for several years now, and it's exceptional music, and now after seeing it on vinyl, I had to purchase a copy. It's difficult not to do a comparison between the CD and Vinyl versions having both formats available. The sound from this vinyl release is robust and punchy, but the volume level of the music is surprisingly low the first time you spin the disc up. I suspect this recording has been a challenge to cut to vinyl and to preserve the very high dynamic range of the recording, a lower overall level was opted for. You have to turn the sound up a bit, but the album still delivers sonically. The soundstage is not as wide as the CD but the higher frequencies are not as 'sparkling', which I quite like. It sounds like a completely new mastering to me. Well worth the purchase. If you have the CD and the Vinyl, it's like listening to two different performances.

This is an outstanding album. I first heard this whilst driving in my uncles car and fell in love straight away. The interplay of the two guitars and the percussive playing are simply incredible. This album is worth it for the first two tracks alone, they are so upbeat and uplifting that you can't help but tap your feet and hands and smile stupidly every time you put the CD on. Considering you get the additional tracks you really feel as if you're being spoiled. Their version of Metallica's 'Orion' is simply brilliant. The only problem with their music is once you hear it you won't be able to get it off of your music system. I feel this is slightly better than their other album 'Re-Foc' which feels more jazzy, and this album comes highly recommended indeed. One word of warning, check out the UK version, it's exactly the same but cheaper!Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.

What can i say. I found Rodrigo Y Gabreila's contribution to my record collection nothing less than stunning. Im a big fan of flamenco greats such as Paco De Lucia, Nino Josele and Oscar Herrero, and have grown up listening to a variety of genres including alternative, indie and samba.You cannot 'genre' Rodrigo y Gabriela, as they are fusion musicians expressing thier backgrounds and tastes . The untrained ear could simply brand them as another flamenco act, but they are so much more. If thier work was played on an electric guitar rather than acoustic, if wouldnt sound out of place in a heavy metal concert.Rodrigo Y Gabriela draw inspiration from the wildest of sources, given the type of music they play. They cite metal bands such as iron maiden as influences, and its not hard to see once you give this cd a few listens. Rodrigo's fretwork is blindingly quick and sharp and Gabriela 's guitar is the perfect complement to this. Tamacun is my personal favourite, but if you just sit back and listen to the cd in one sitting, it is hard to distinguish where one song ends and another begins.An Epic record from an epic duo.

Brilliant album.Love their story of how two Brazilians moved to Ireland.Busking on the street for money and found international fame......

I ordered the self-titled album by Rodrigo y Gabriela on the basis of a 3star review i had read in a national newspaper. Being a guitarist i was interested in the album, but when i got it and listened to it i was astounded. Their sound is extremely rich and unique, a real treat to listen to! The DVD that accompanies the album is also very worthwhile. It features 3 live performances by the duo, a gallery of pictures, an introduction to how they came to make the music they make and a guitar tutorial which is extremely understandable to a guitarist of medium ability or above. A real masterpiece and a pleasure to have in any record collection. I have just ordered their previous two albums on the basis of this one....!