Barnes & Noble
Piper Carlos Núñez has been blowing alongside the Chieftains since he was 18 years old -- it's no wonder that some of the Irish masters' best qualities have rubbed off on the young Spaniard. OS AMORES LIBRES captures the sprawling roots-music fusion of the Chieftains' latter day work, and musters an army of guest stars that Paddy Moloney himself would envy. Drafting Jackson Browne, Madredeus' Teresa Salgueiro, Afro-Celt Sound System's Martin Emmerson and Simon Russell, plus a host of flamenco and Irish music's top players, Núñez assured himself an able crew to carry out his vision. And what a vision it is: Over 12 tracks, Núñez attempts to bridge the airy Celtic strains of his native Galicia, in Spain's north, with the fiery rhythms of the south's flamenco. On the evocative opener, "Jigs & Bulls," Núñez's virtuosic pipes duke it out with guitar fireworks, palmas, and stomping feet. The lights of Spain's new flamenco -- guitarists {|Vicente Amigo|} and Juan Manuel Cañizares, bassist Carles Benavent, percussionist Tino Di Geraldo, and vocalist Carmen Linares -- craft a thoughtful dance with Irish musicians Sharon Shannon, Donal Lunny, Derek Bell, and others. Núñez's rigorous research underscores the shared ancient history of Spanish music both northern and southern -- the contributions of Gypsies, Jews, Africans, and Celts throughout the ages. The ambient "Danza de Lúa en Santiago" pays homage to Spain's Arabic legacy, the ballad "A Lavadeira da Noite" invokes Sephardic Jewry, and "Viva La Quinta Brigada" celebrates Irish rebels who fought Franco in the Spanish Civil War. In its culturally inclusive, manifold new vision of Spain, OS AMORES LIBRES is certain to be regarded as a major event in Núñez's homeland. Such a vibrant democratic vision deserves to be celebrated everywhere. Mark Schwartz
Barnes & Noble
The land of Galicia is eloquently brought into focus on this evocative album by piper Carlos Núñez. A region of Spain's northwest coast, Galicia sits north of Portugal, isolated by mountains and culturally linked to the Celts. Bagpipes, not the flamenco guitar, rule the musical world of Galicia, and Núñez is its ambassador. On OS AMORES LIBRES, Núñez poetically combines the many ethnic threads found in the Galician world -- Celtic, Islamic, Gypsy, and Sephardic Jewish -- and he embraces a myriad of dances, from the triple-time muiñeira to the languid alalás. "Jigs and Bulls" sets the tone, blazing with flamenco guitar (Juan Manuel Canizares), twangy bouzouki (Dónal Lunny), and the sounds of actual dancing, along with encouraging voices. "Muiñeiras da Sorte" (Jigs of Fortune) is recorded over the background of a Sabicas flamenco LP, giving it a scratchy ambiance that takes the imagination back to the rawer music of unamplified days. The album's many solo vocalists -- including Teresa Salgueiro, Carmen Linares, Noa, Mike Scott, Liam Ó Maonlai, and a 1920s recording of Cántigas de Terra -- add a gutsiness that's often lost in the present days of microphones and mixing boards. The liner notes enhance the poetic reach of the pieces, although distinct lyrics and translations would be welcome. The album ends with "O Castro da Moura," a tour-de-force celebration of Moorish and Celtic culture featuring 50 musicians, a dozen exotic dance forms, and vivid sword fights. OS AMORES LIBRES instills a sense of nostalgia, soul, romance, and authenticity missing in so many modern recordings. Viva! Carol Wright
All Music Guide
After researching for three years, Núñez has come up with a record that touches on all the strands that have influenced the music of his native Galicia. So, as well as Celtic, there are flamenco, North African, and even Middle Eastern textures to be found on Os Amores Libres, not to mention a total of over 80 guests, making this into a true all-star project. Curiously, though, Núñez seems content to underplay his own remarkable piping skills, only letting fly on the opener, "Jigs & Bulls," where he shows why he has a reputation as a Jimi Hendrix of the pipes. Elsewhere he seems content to play mostly whistles, and often takes a subordinate role to other people, showing very little ego for a project that bears his name. Inevitably, a fair amount of the focus on this disc is Celtic, with Waterboy Mike Scott letting rip on a fair version of the much-abused traditional "The Raggle Taggle Gipsy," while Breton whiz Dan Ar Braz, Chieftain Derek Ball, and uillean pipe genius Liam O'Flynn all help out on the title track. The most interesting material, though, looks in other directions, such as the flamenco-inflected "Muiñeras da Sorte" or the surprising rumba of "A Orillas del Río Sil." There's even a lovely Sephardic Jewish song, "A Lavandeira da Noire," luminously sung by Israel's Noa, connecting the dots between the Holy Land and Spain. Everything reaches a climax on "O Castro da Moura," which brings together Celtic and North African music as over 50 people crowd onto the cut, led by Afro Celt Sound System man Simon Emmerson for an epic 13-minute tour around the world of Galicia. All in all, a daring record, and one that could easily have been swamped by the surrounding names. But Núñez is careful enough to make sure it's the music and not the individual voices that shines, transforming this from a potential disaster into a triumph of scholarship, enthusiasm, and skill. Chris Nickson
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© 2009 All Media Guide, LLC