Flamenco A Go Go

After several years of silence, Stevens introduces an entirely new sound and direction with Flamenco A Go Go. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knows Steve's history, since the legendary folk musician Phil Ochs was the first person to put a guitar into his hands. Not only has be traded his trusty electrics for a nylon-string acoustic guitar, but he took a total do-it-yourself approach to the project, recording it by computer in his home and playing almost all of the parts himself. Playing flamenco brought out the best in Stevens--check out the depth and melodic majesty of tracks like "Our Man In Istanbul" or "Riviera 68." Working with percussionist Greg Ellis, Stevens has no trouble tapping into the kinetic pulse of flamenco music, yet no matter how intense the rhythmic interplay gets, there's always a strong melodic component to the music. It's as if Stevens gets the best of both worlds. Nor is he hampered by the sonic limitations of a nylon-string classical guitar. Thanks to the editing capabilities of digital recording, on "Letter to A Memory", for example, Stevens was able to have his acoustic and make it sound electric, too. Note: Only one of the vocal tracks on Flamenco A Go Go is a traditional vocal number ("Hanina") - the others feature an occasional female voice in an indistiguishable language adding vocal coloration.