Mar

5

A fan looking at the cover could be forgiven for thinking this was another run-of-the-mill disco era Delgado record; after all, ‘Music Box Dancer’ has been covered so many times, by so many artists, that even its unforgettable melody has become somewhat passe. That judgement would be a mistake, for this album is a gem - brisk, lively, superbly played and arranged, a dance record that distills much of the trademark Delgado sound into one of his best party records. Accomplished pianist Wende/Delgado was always ready to jump on a happy melody, and was literally the first to tackle this poppy Canadian hit, the same year it was released while it was still gaining steam on international charts. Yes, there are disco tracks, but not generic thumpers - the steady drum beats are enhanced by lively snares and cowbell, rhythmic bongos, marimbas, funky guitars, Geisler’s trademark snappy bass, all turning those songs into a smiling invitation to the dancefloor. He revisits familiar territory, updating his staple ‘Cielito Lindo’ with a galloping new arrangement by Joe Kirsten; entitled ‘Disco Mexicano’ it is mainly defined by quality steel-guitar work by Ladi Geisler, supported with sweeping strings and solid marimba play by Delgado himself. Geisler returns to the steel guitar on ‘Disco Tropicana’, a dreamy reworking of the traditional Hawaiian ‘Aloha Oe’ that he embellishes with Superfly-ish wah-wah as it evolves into a percussive footstomper. The slowest song is a Gato Barbieri version of Rodrigo’s classic ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’, with a surprisingly sublime performance on guitar, flute, strings, and trumpets, building warmly then lovingly riding Geisler’s acoustic guitar to a suitably low-key finish. Delgado/Wende shines on this record, with top-notch playing, production and arrangements; while some are certainly better than others, there isn’t a single duff track here. If you are curious why his records sell so consistently, this later work is not a bad place to start; and if you are a Roberto Delgado fan, you should add the lively and entertaining ‘Music Box Dancer’ to your collection immediately.


Comments

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Speak your mind

1 Comment so far

  1. Russ on May 26, 2008 9:02 pm

    This is another compilation album masquerading as a studio album, in this case for the Canadian market. About half the songs are contemporary (recorded in 1978-79) and the rest are drawn from various Delgado releases. Concierto de Aranjuez appeared on the 1973 album Fiesta For Dancing, but was cut from the Canadian release of the album. There are a couple of 1960s cuts, remastered to fit in with the rest of the songs.

Other writing