Cathy Claret:
Solita Por El Mundo:
Warner Spain:
CD/DD:
Out Now:
★★★★★★★★½☆☆
After what seems like a lifetime away, breathy Spanish chanteuse Cathy Claret returns from a lengthy hiatus with some much-needed Mediterranean sunshine. Solita Por El Mundo follows on from her earlier Crepuscule legacy, her BB King-era hit Bollere and 2006's Gypsy Flower with just over half an hour of free and easy, bright and breezy Spanish-tongued (and sometimes French) exotica-pop that resolutely sticks to tradition with one foot in '60s era Euro lounge and the other in flamenco. If you can imagine Saint Etienne and Nouvelle Vague forming a supergroup with Brigitte Bardot, you're someway there.
The ten songs do not wallow in nostalgia however - the whole album resonates with contemporary rhythms and arrangements, opting for the analogue rather than the digital and keeping it real without being hipster cool. That, trust me, is a good thing.
The first four songs are the equal of anything Claret has recorded before with the star of the show being the marvellous title-track that exudes a honeyed golden glow that doesn't fail to brighten the dullest of days. Destino Cierto is more of the same with a marimba hookline and bossa-nova beat while Juste Une Petite Chose is a string-driven pop-epic with the top down and the wind in its hair.
Earlier single Chocolat makes an appearance in a pepped-up version that retains all the harmonies and twinkly-eyed mischief of the original, plus some extra 'oomph'. Une Melody sports some husky spoken text from Rossy De Palma and the aforementioned Nouvelle Vague make an appearance on the sprightly Les Cerisiers while the rest of the album draws on her own heritage. Only Rayon De Soleil hints at her recent collaborative period with Finley Quaye while Bleu de Cadiz is the only downbeat ballad here, a reflective few minutes that calms things down successfully.
Solita Por El Mundo might, might, just reward its versatile and talented creator with some long-awaited UK love - it's her best since 1991's Soleil Y Locura.
Solita Por El Mundo:
Warner Spain:
CD/DD:
Out Now:
★★★★★★★★½☆☆
The ten songs do not wallow in nostalgia however - the whole album resonates with contemporary rhythms and arrangements, opting for the analogue rather than the digital and keeping it real without being hipster cool. That, trust me, is a good thing.
The first four songs are the equal of anything Claret has recorded before with the star of the show being the marvellous title-track that exudes a honeyed golden glow that doesn't fail to brighten the dullest of days. Destino Cierto is more of the same with a marimba hookline and bossa-nova beat while Juste Une Petite Chose is a string-driven pop-epic with the top down and the wind in its hair.
Earlier single Chocolat makes an appearance in a pepped-up version that retains all the harmonies and twinkly-eyed mischief of the original, plus some extra 'oomph'. Une Melody sports some husky spoken text from Rossy De Palma and the aforementioned Nouvelle Vague make an appearance on the sprightly Les Cerisiers while the rest of the album draws on her own heritage. Only Rayon De Soleil hints at her recent collaborative period with Finley Quaye while Bleu de Cadiz is the only downbeat ballad here, a reflective few minutes that calms things down successfully.
Solita Por El Mundo might, might, just reward its versatile and talented creator with some long-awaited UK love - it's her best since 1991's Soleil Y Locura.