Album of the month :
February 2003
VARIOUS ARTISTS :
" Acuarela Songs 2 "
( Acuarela)
It's a well-known fact that rules are made to be broken. With " Acuarela Songs 2 ", we're gonna waive some Rockomondo's principles. One is to never choose a compilation as " Album of the month". Another is to only care about albums featuring non-Anglo-Saxons artists and bands.
This tribute to the Madrid-based label Acuarela Records ( home of artists like Migala, Sr. Chinarro or Mus) is the brainchild of Laurent Orseau, long-time Acuarela fan and mogul of the french micro-label Hinah. Making good use of his rich adress-book, he asked various artists - closely or distantly connected to Acuarela - to compose exclusive tracks using the label's name in their titles or lyrics. Many answered positively and this resulted in the release of the first volume of " Acuarela Songs" ( a double-CD) late 2001. Despite its track-by-track excellence and the presence of luminaries such as Howe Gelb, Mark Eitzel, Willard Grant Conspiracy, or Spain's Nacho Vegas and Viva Las Vegas, this song collection didn't work very well as a whole though. The fact most of the artists kept close to Acuarela's trademark sound ( slow rhythms, mostly acoustic instrumentation, restrained vocals) surely emphasized the emotional side of the music, but it also resulted in a certain monotony on a double-album length.
Thus, no need to say we were a bit worried with " Acuarela Songs 2" being an impressive 3-CD box-set. We were wrong. Benefiting again from the helping hand of Hinah, this sequel is actually better than its predecessor. First of all, forget those compilations where artists generously give songs they wouldn't keep for their own albums : this is only top notch stuff from beginning to end. Picking a track at random on any of the three CDs means that you're more than likely to come across a pure gem. Get me "A" by Naim Amor ( ex-Amor Belhom Duo) for instance : a superlative ballad for guitar, melodica and vibraphone which alone would justify the purchase of this box-set. Or Watercolour Summer by Grupo Salvaje : the new band founded by Pribata Idaho's former leader Ernesto Gonzales deliver a splendid american-flavoured number that leaves us begging for more. Somewhat disappointing with their cover of Donovan's Colours, L'Altra redeem themselves with a Spanish-sung Blanco that reaches the stars while Don Nino's Paint Me In Watercolours definitively establishes him as one of France's brightest talents and Refree's Contra outmatches most material from his excellent debut album.
Another good news is that this new selection is far more varied than the first one. Acuarela new signing Manta Ray ( don't overlook their terrific new release " Estratexa") and french Experience both deliver a welcome shot of electricity. Thalia Zedek goes for a prime slice of smoky americana and Green Apple Sea (D) for some kind of Velvet-like country music in the " Loaded" vein. Elsewhere, The Bitter Springs are all milk n' honey on their truly charming Wasserfabe, and 27 re-discover the virtues of a simple pop-song with their jaunty One More Tomorrow.
Add some worth checking discoveries ( I had never heard of Anamude nor Guimo before, but I'll sure keep an eye on them from now on) and you'll come to this conclusion : " Acuarela Songs 2" is one of the most beautiful declarations of love you've ever heard. Maybe I should seriously consider the idea of starting my own label now...
ACUARELA :
http://www.acuareladiscos.com/
Mailto:acuarela@acuareladiscos.com
HINAH: