Roots

For decades, the Gipsy Kings have been ambassadors in the name of flamenco, popularizing the genre around the globe while adapting their sound to the pop tastes of the moment. In 2004, the ambassadors came home to deliver Roots, an album that finds them embodying the arch romance and brooding sorrow of flamenco with renewed conviction. You can hear this blood-borne commitment in the wailing voices of Nicholas, Canut and Patchai Reyes and the dramatic guitar lines of Tonino Balladro throughout Roots. Highlights include “Bolerias” (torrid with deft guitar interplay), “Petite Noya” (a celebratory number with all voices joining in), “Como Siento Yo” (tender and seductive) and “Soledas” (captivating in its smoldering darkness). Nicholas Reyes’ singing on “Fandango” deserves special mention — the note of tragic longing it catches lingers long after the song is done. Despite their regal name, the Gipsy Kings are really the servants here — it’s the spirit of flamenco itself that guides this reaffirmation of their musical heritage. Recorded at a farmhouse in their native southern France, this album is a sparsely-produced, lovingly-rendered showcase for the familial group’s passionate skills.