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Written in fRoots issue 337, 2011


IALMA
Simbiose
Fol Música 100FOL 1051 (2011)

A splendidly attractive second album, full of catchy songs and alegría, from the Belgian-resident Galician female vocal quintet, joined by an expanded version of their regular band.
      They’re described this time as cantareiras rather than pandeireteiras, which in effect means the tambourines that usually characterise such Galician women’s vocal groups, while still present, are less in evidence here. They’re replaced by very meaty, full arrangements, including the instruments of rock and tradition – accordion, guitars, trumpet, gaitas, fiddles, programming, plenty of percussion – expertly pulled together by Ialma’s Veronica Codesal, musical directors Ad Cominotto, Pascal Chardome and other members of the band into an integrated whole, often punchy and massive-sounding but dappled with light and shade, lovely touches and quirky corners.
      Ialma is Nuria Aldao, Verónica and Natalia Codesal, Magali Menéndez and Marisol Palomo, whose voices, in unison and sometimes harmony, blend magnificently and exuberantly, and there’s not a track on this album without a memorable melody. Of the twelve songs (actually eleven plus a reprise of track 2, the big folk-rocky Na Iauga, a translated Quebecois song, preceded by wittily confusing directions to the cathedral), most are traditional in melody, lyrics or both, some familiar from other pandeireteira groups, but coming up all new and fresh.
      From the snappy opener 6 am, through Grixoa’s muted trumpet leading into gloriously anthemic massed female and male voices, the gaita and pandeireta preluded medieval-sounding Ialma Tornia, the piano and pandeireta impelled dancing shuffle of Xota Do Amenecer, Carraskashion’s quirkily perky, almost Caribbean bounce and a sassy reworking of the Bangles’ hit as Dance Like A Galician, it’s thoroughly satisfying and uplifting throughout.

www.folmusica.com

© 2011 Andrew Cronshaw
 

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