YouTube rabbit holes pay dividends again. One night I received a notification that Camila Fernandez had released a new song and decided to see what else I might find. One of the discoveries was the song ‘Hey Marina’ (more on it later) by Flaco Rodriguez and Querida Margot (another highly recommended band) which I listened to probably ten times that night. I then wanted to see what else each of these bands had out there on YouTube. This self-released album by Flaco Rodriguez would appear after maybe a month with a collection of previously released and new songs. While it is not our usual music here (if we have a usual type of music here), I think there are lots of elements here that can appeal to fans of Jesse Malin’s solo work, Johnny Thunder’s acoustic albums, and just high-quality music in general. I don’t have a lot of details about the band I can share other than they are from Spain, but let’s dig into this recommended album.
The lead track ‘Todos Nos Rodea’ is an acoustic soft rocker that includes both sung and spoken word vocals. The song provides a nice opening to an album filled with some diverse sounds. The bluesy groove of ‘Soy un Rodriguez’ increases the tempo a little bit and features some tasteful guitar work, female backing vocals, and a nice catchy hook. Up next is one of my favourites from the album, ‘Ciudades, Garitos, Altares’ is a dynamite acoustic number with co-lead vocals by the delightful Monica Morado. The harmony and melody in the vocals work perfectly together. Again, I think the song could have snuck onto a Thunders album as an all-acoustic number. It provides a great build in the album as it probably ranks in my top three songs on the album.
Coming back to ‘Hey Marina’ now, the song takes on more of a rock ‘n’ roll feel that brings to mind the likes of the Rolling Stones, a catchy midtempo Tyla song, or again a Thunders song. It has a build in the music and turns into a glass in the air, put your arm around a person beside you, and all sing along quality. Querida Margot brings their rock influences to the forefront. The horns add an even more festive feel to the song. Wrapping up the first half of the album, ‘El Parque’ returns the album to an acoustic feel that features some nice subtle percussion. It’s easy to see someone sitting on a porch or out by a campfire singing this one.
The second half of the album begins with ‘Perdon por Anticipado’ where the band spends the first half of its under three-minute length as another acoustic number before it gets a shot of rock and swagger and then mellows back out for the close. ‘Que No Hay Que Trabajar’ could slip into a spaghetti western where we see the horses racing across a tumbleweed filled mesa with the slowed down spoken word parts being flashback scenes. ‘Mientra Tu Estes Aqui’ is a slow acoustic Spanish ballad that fits nicely within the album. The trumpet works perfectly in the mix.
‘Donde Esta el Teatro?’ gets us close to the finale with a great shuffle and catchy chorus. Diego Rodriguez’ vocals across the album work great with the different songs across the album with this one’s genuineness and sincerity being no exception. Closing the album is my 2nd favourite on the album. ‘Adios, Tomas’ would not be out of place on a Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers or Refreshments album. The harmonica adds a great element to a song packed with a chorus crafted from catchy goodness. As in a few of the other songs, there are some spoken words in the song as well. These are really utilized in a similar manner to what Hanoi Rocks did on the ‘Two Steps from the Move’ album where the songs would feel incomplete without them. At well over five minutes, it also provides an epic finish to an album that only reaches just over 35 minutes.
For those looking to break up their normal listening, I recommend giving this one a chance. My Spanish is not great, so I continue to dig deeper into the lyrics and try to remember all of the Spanish I have learned over the years. ‘Hey Marina’ served as the perfect first song for me to hear because of its rock feel and singalong chorus. I hope there is eventually a video for ‘Adios, Tomas’ as it deserves a chance in the spotlight. This album keeps staying in my listening rotation. While you are checking this one out, I recommend giving the new single and debut album by Querida Margot a spin as well.
Ultimamente Solo Hablo de Ti’ is available now.
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Author: Gerald Stansbury
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