Week 16 - Gipsy Kings - Gipsy Kings - My go to happy music.

A staple of my dad’s dance parties and many of the road trips growing up, Gipsy Kings possess this uncanny ability to make me smile. The acoustic guitar, the congo percussion and the extreme dexterity required to play some of these songs, the sound is absolutely fun. The flamenco/salsa/rumba sound of the Kings is upbeat and lively, even the more sombre instrumentals have a sense of urgency to them. It never mattered to me that I didn’t understand the lyrics growing up, the sound just made me dance. The crooning vocals are what really make this album for me. The sound is pained, passionate and earthy. No fancy vocal production or effects, just simple sound which is full of character. The guitar and the vocals fight for the spotlight throughout the album, but it is the small accents of maracas or castanets or clapping that really add depth to each song.

I’ve grown up listening to some of these tracks and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon. My favourites off this album are

1. Bamboleo - One of the strongest openings to an album I have ever come across, bamboleo is instantly recognizable. It’s urgent and the chorus is one that everyone would have heard, either in movies or as memes. An absolute happy song, this is a definite get-on-your-feet-and-dance song.
   

2. A Mi Manera - A cover of a Frank Sinatra classic, the track stays true to the original, retaining that tone of triumph. Though I thoroughly love the original, it is the crooning vocals of this version that really cinches the victory in my book.

One song, that is not from this particular album, but is my all time Gipsy Kings favourite is

1. Volare (Nel Blu di Pinto di Blu) - I can wholeheartedly say, I prefer this over the original, any day of the week. This has been the soundtrack to my solo dance parties for over a decade