SE ABRE LA PUERTA

THIS IS A VERY WARM AND TASTEFULLY ARRANGED TRIBUTE TO TRIANA, THE MASTERS OF THE PROG ANDALUZ When Triana their keyboarplayer/singer Jesus De La Rosa died because of a car accident in 1983, Medina Azahara were generally considered as the succesors of Triana, the masters of the Prog Andaluz movement. During concerts Medina Azahara already played some Triana covers and on this CD compilation you can enjoy Medina Azahara performing seven Triana covers along one Cai cover and 3 own compositions, all firmly rooted in the Prog Andaluz tradition.

In fact Medina Azahara is a Heavy Prog version of the more symphonic prog of Triana featuring a powerful and tight rhythm- section, heavy guitar work (lots of fiery solos and propulsive guitar riffs) and an excellent singer who turns out to be a perfect blend of the traditional flamenco singer and the archetypical rock singer, what an emotion and what a power! The seven Triana covers are very pleasant coloured: warm flamenco guitar, heavy guitar riffs, bombastic organ and a flashy synthesizer solo in Abre La Puerta, tender piano and sensitive electric guitar in Una Noche De Amor, great melancholical vocals, wonderful keyboard layers and howling guitar in Hijos Del Agobio, a very compelling atmosphere in Dialogo, Paco De lucia inspired flamenco guitar, lush organ and biting electric guitar in Luminosa Manana, a jazzy piano intro and powerful Hammond organ waves in Tu Frialdad and lots of surprising musical ideas in El Lago, from roaring Hammond organ and 'slap bass' to even rap singing, very original! The version of Cai their composition Amanecer En El Puerto sounds dynamic with beautiful vocals and the three Medina Azahara tracks Hacia Ti (dynamic ballad), Paseando Por La Mezquita (the ultimate blend of flamenco and hardrock) and El Soldado (swirling Hammond organ solo) showcase their pleasant, melodic and harder-edged Prog Andaluz sound, they are very popular in Spain but they deserve wider attention, what a captivating music!

This tribute-CD is a very good introduction to the sound of Medina Azahara!