Search - Los Hidalgo :: Hidalgo

Outstanding U. S. debut!

London Braithewaite | The United States | 07/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had the great good fortune of being serendaded by this marvelously talented trio the evening of my birthday last spring. Actually, the totally serendipitous event stemmed from my sharing the same birthday as the younger sister of those three brothers; they'd arranged a small gathering of friends and family to celebrate the happy occasion at a posh cafe belonging to a mutual friend of ours. The celebration started after hours, and I happened to be paying my usual visit. I was asked to stay and listen to the group as they sampled most of the tracks found on the record. Except for the accompaniment of a couple of guitars and the percussive addition of flamenco-like clapping hands and tapping feet, the sheer power and talent of this group manifested itself a'cappella. Their "power" comes from their instinctive ability to interpret the lyric as it ought: poetry delivered from the marrow of life's experiences, the ecstacies and perturbations of love. It is emotive. It is real. It is true to the words of each lyric. But then, this particular talent are the princely offspring of Venezuela's songwriting royalty; their venerable father is author to most of their repetoire, and one of that country's most beloved and highly respected composers. They are however well-acquainted with a great portion of Latin-America's canon of songs, namely those of the Golden Era, and that night witnessed the passion with which Los Hidalgo reverently approach such compositions--their first focus resting on the vocal clarity and harmony and interpretive fidelity of the trio tradition. It is a testament to the production team that this particular collection, presented in a sleek, sophisticated format, does not compromise the beauty of the arrangements. This is undoubtedly a studio album, but the original heart of each song in its acoustic splendour is still preserved. The cover of "Suavecito," offered in both a Spanish and Spanish/English version is guaranteed to inspire any listener to warm up to his favourite partner and dance! Indeed, there is an indelible thread of Carribean joy and celebration running throughout the collection. You will find yourself humming or singing the catchiest bits of each track, and the pleasure of listening to the record again will be like the first. Since I was first cordially introduced to, and then unexpectedly serenaded by Los Hidalgo, I cannot but recommend, in addition to this amazing recording, a live performance of theirs. It is an experience of immense pleasure that comes from so intimate a place, from the centre of the heart and the richness of the Latin tradition."

Los Hidalgo

JORGE SANCHEZ LOSADA | United States | 06/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time that I hear those fantastic persons I think that they will go so far away, They are really fantastic. They have a splendid voice and their composition are very good, romantic and intense. For me the best quality of this group is that all is made in family their father is a famous composer from Venezuela. I really recomend this CD, if you don't buy it you don't like the real romantic caribean music."

"TODO TU" IS TODO SENSUAL

Denise M. Woncisz | USA | 07/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I returned to Miami after a several year sabbatical to what makes me love it most.... intoxicating tropical breezes, gold glowing skin, and a percussion-possessed melange of music and people from South America and Carribean. Immediately I got back into my old groove of Guarapo (sugar cane juice)con O.J. in the morning, Bustelo, tostones, arepas, and El Sol 95. There's always a "personal" groove of the year that takes you were you need to be "Todo Tu" was/is mine. So much passion goes into the lyrics that not even english translation can weaken it: "Tu Mano, tu boca, tu cuerpo; todo lo tuyo me provoca" "Your hand, your mouth, your body, everything about you provokes me." I'm so glad that I can share this love of the music of Los Hidalgo and all afro-caribbean/South American music with my latin son. It's the music of our people. I am glad that he has not abandoned the security of it cultural power and sensitivity for the pop mainstream. No woman with a man who embraces this music can ever accuse him of being out of touch with his emotions."