Search - Federico Aubele :: Amatoria

Good album - not great, but good

Daxter H. Gulje | Santa Barbara, CA United States | 06/01/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Any time ESL offers up a new release from their stable of incredibly talented bands, I get extremely excited - none more so than for Federico Aubele (and maybe Thievery).



See my earlier review for Gran Hotel Buenos Aires to get a feel for my opinion on his music (Panamericana holds similar status in my view, if that helps).



Amatoria is a decent album from a very talented musician, and after taking it out for a spin, I can say - for me - it is not of the same caliber as his previous offerings.



Another reviewer here notes the use of his own vocals instead of the primarily female-driven sounds of his earlier albums. While I don't think he's a terrible singer, I do feel that in doing so, much of that hypnotic, enchanting sound/feel was lost.



This album is also quite a bit slower/sleepier than his other two...more siesta-ish strumming, almost lackadaisical in its presentation. And this isn't necessarily a "bad" thing, it's just...different, and probably not what the majority of his fans were expecting from a follow-up record.



His singing and slower pacing combine to deliver an album that is pleasant to listen to, and quite a bit more South American in feel to it (somehow his other releases feel like they fuse many styles together, while this is primarily Argentine guitar and vocals only).



I'll close by noting that an unfortunate side effect of starred-review systems is that people tend to default to one rating or another (5 if you like it, 1 if you don't). I enjoy the granularity of multiple options, which is why this album earns 3-stars from me - there is absolutely nothing "wrong" with it...this album is "good", whereas I feel that his first two are truly "great", and I'm still looking forward to the next release!



"

Great sound

Bellanyc13 | San Francisco, CA | 05/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Personally, I don't speak Spanish, but I think this album is amazing for all sorts of events like driving around, dinner music, relaxing at home, baby-making, etc. One of my favorite things about international music is that I DON'T know the words. Federico is one of my favorites, this is a must buy!"

Disapointing!!!

Gustavo Martin | Caracas, Venezuela | 08/18/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Federico lost his own and particular style in this album! Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Thievery Corporation is no longer the producer of his music. Panamericana & Gran Hotel Buenos Aires are, by far, better albums than this... Please Federico, back to the roots!!! Amatoria sounds like Miguel Bose's drama songs...



I've still great expectations for your future music!!!"