Search - Melingo :: Santa Milonga

A Savory Taste of Tango Nuevo

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 12/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Who knows whether or not Santa Milonga is an original album or just a compilation? Notations on the CD casing say that this was recorded between 1998 and 2003. That, and the fact that five cuts appear also on Melingo's 1998 album Tangos Bajos has me inclined to believe the latter.

If you are familiar at all with the music of Melingo, you know his approach to the tango is raw and earthy. That doesn't change here. If anything, its a continuation of the sound he pioneered on Tangos Bajos. When listening, you imagine yourself enjoying the music in the callejones of the arrabales of Buenos Aires far from the concert halls and tourist traps where more traditional tango fare is de rigueur.

My favorites are many. I like Narigon, Leonel El Feo, Angurrienta, De Todo Y Para Dos, the humorous Agarrese Don Enrique, Muleta de Borracho, Noche Transfigurada, the musically more traditional-sounding El Extrano Caso, El Garron, and Ayer.

My only real complaint is that with just over a half-hour's worth of music, the listener is paying a steep price. Even though there are 14 songs, only two exceed three minutes in length and four of them are under two minutes. Santa Milonga comes presented in a quirky, oversized multi-dimensional digipak that seems to be the packaging style of Melingo's current record company. If you are a fan of Tango Nuevo, jump on this while you can."