The global idea is well represented by José González: the singer / guitarist is a Swede of Argentinian descent who sings songs in English. As a guitarist he knows how to combine Nick Drake's fingerpicking folk style with elements from flamenco. With his free song structures he also ties in with the alternative 'new acoustic movement', allowing him to appeal to both a pop and a roots audience. Many
… songs are made up of a hypnotic motif, which is often repeated and only in a few cases where some percussion or a trumpet has been added. The dreamy vocals even seem to be somewhat inferior to Gonzalez's phenomenal guitar playing. That lack of a penetrating voice is the only comment that can be made on this album, that, despite the many musical influences, immediately sounds familiar. (MS)more
