Since singer
Rosalía released her album
El Mal Guerer (2018), Spanish-language pop has been on an international rise. The popularity of the mostly Spanish-sung reggaeton genre certainly contributes to this. El Madrileño, the album by Madrid-based rapper and singer C. Tangana, is at least as ambitious as that of his compatriot. He, too, wants to merge modern, global music with traditional and
… folkloric styles. Hip-hop and other urban styles lead the way, but blend organically with the contributions of the album's guests: José Feliciano, Buena Vista Social Club member Eliades Ochoa and Jorge Drexler are just a small sample of the star-studded team that collaborates. C. Tangana's vocals are characterized by fashionably understated and a tad bored sounding raps and vocal lines. The songs, however, sound anything but bored and are rock solid. And just like Rosalía introduced large groups of youngsters to flamenco, C. Tangana respectfully shows that the guests on his album have made a timeless contribution to music history. (JV)more
