Roots

1	Aven, Aven 4:37
2	Legende 4:12
3	Fandango (Patchai) 1:29
4	Bolerias 4:35
5	Rhythmic 4:10
6	Como Siento Yo 3:21
7	Amigo 3:44
8	Tarantas 2:58
9	Fandango (Nicolas) 2:39
10	Boogie 3:23
11	Nuages 3:07
12	Como Ayer 3:24
13	Soledad 5:56
14	Tampa 3:06
15	Hermanos 3:05
16	Petite Noya 3:39

Barnes & Noble

The world's most successful rumba band go back to the basics for their most stirring album yet: an exploration of the centuries-old cante jondo, the "deep song" that is the root of flamenco. Roots features the core of the Kings: the Reyes family of Nicolas, Canut, Andre, Patchai, and Paul, as well as their cousins Tonino, Diego, and Paco Baliardo. They're joined by double-bassist Greg Cohen, known for his work with Tom Waits, Marisa Monte, and Dave Douglas, along with percussionist Cyro Baptista and accordionist Garth Hudson, formerly of The Band. Producer Craig Street, who's brought his dark, string-laden sound to acclaimed albums from Cassandra Wilson and Susana Baca, joined the band near the town of St-Andre-de-Bueges in France’s Languedoc, where they took over a seventeenth-century farmhouse and turned an old storeroom into a makeshift studio. The all-acoustic result is sure to cast these crowd-pleasers in a new light. These remarkable performances expose the primordial throb, descended from Indian and African antecedents, that gives cante jondo its raw, hypnotic quality. Whatever you've thought about the Kings in the past, it's undeniable that the Reyes-Baliardo family is the real deal. By exposing their Roots, the Kings also expose the deep musical heritage behind their crowd-pleasing veneer. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

Fans of flamenco icons the Gipsy Kings have been waiting a long time for a record like Roots. The group spent much of the last ten years churning out a sleek and heady mix of often disposable worldbeat that, while perfectly executed, never lived up to the promise of their hugely successful 1988 American/English debut. The aptly named Roots finds the brothers Andre and Nicolás Reyes leading the veteran octet through 16 blistering tracks, bereft of the percussion and electronic trickery that has plagued so many of their previous outings. The family collective rented a farmhouse in the south of France for the recording, and the results are nothing short of a revelation. From the opening notes of "Aven, Aven" through the intimate campfire splendor of "Petite Noya," the bandmembers seem possessed by one another, trading stories through the only medium they understand, resulting in a listening experience that's almost mythological in scope. Between the infectious handclaps on "Rhythmic," the two visceral "Fandango" pieces performed by Nicolás and cousin Patchai Reyes, and the pristine (field) production -- it's like an Alan Lomax recording in 24-bit digital -- lie eight men out of time, playing for their country, their history, and most importantly, themselves. Highly recommended. Reverend Lee Power