Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela

Genre rock Publisher ATO Records External Links Official Rodrigo y Gabriela Website Official ATO Records Website

It would be too easy glance at the tracklist and immediately deem this to be something birthed exclusively for NPR bumper music, or that Terry Gross will devote a five minute feature piece on the "unique sound of this two piece band," or that David Dye will weave in a track or two on World Cafe. No! This pairing deserves your attention for the furious fingerpicking and interesting take on the Latin genre.

Again with the perceptions, Rodrigo (guy) and Gabriela (girl) are Dublin-based Mexicans who anxiously pound out as many sounds as possible with two acoustic guitars. Feliciano this is not, the two build on an aggressive and passionate sound the TV guitar hawker lost years ago. The music elicits two dancers playing off of one another, but with wholly acoustic goodness.

Borrowing liberally from the flamenco style, the duo weaves it into what are initially deemed as the most boorish songs on the album (covers of "Stairway to Heaven" and Metallica's "Orion") into songs that makes you almost forget you've heard them a million billion times. "Stairway" especially makes you lose yourself in the music, with only occasional glimpses into the original incarnation of the song under the great acoustic crescendo.

The two do more than just acoustic scales on the vocal-less album, but it is worth a listen if you can seek it out.