Don't feel too bad if you've never heard of the Gipsy Kings, because the new anthology The Best of the Gipsy Kings affords an excellent opportunity to introduce yourself to Billboard magazine's highest charting World Music Artist of 1994.
And the Kings have had ample material from which to select to produce this new release with six albums under their belt since 1988, all of which remain on the Billboard Pop Latin chart to this day.
Taking all of this into consideration, don't write the Gipsy Kings off as some trumpet-toting gaggle of South American troubadours in sombreros and rhinestones. These guys are genuine Gypsies from the south of France, and sing in their own dialect, Gitane. Their music is driven by a wall of acoustic guitars, played with a tightness that may have its roots in the fact that at the core of the band are two related sets of brothers.
The Reyes and Baliardo families combine to produce a sound that rises above the quagmire of so much World Music tripe and rests upon a pedestal of quality. The sounds of the Gipsy Kings are influenced by the folk music of Spain, France and North Africa's Moorish culture. The resulting sound is one that can both soothe and enliven the listener.
Don't feel that you have to like "Latin" music to enjoy the Gipsy Kings, since anyone with an open mind to good music can appreciate what is essentially folk music that transcends hackneyed categorization.
Take the energetic track "Volaré," for instance. You'll never know what these guys are singing about (though I'm sure it's not a Plymouth), but the passionate joy in Nicolas Reyes' voice conveys more meaning than anything you'll hear on local radio.
The album's opening track, "Djobi, Djoba," sets a similar mood, with Reyes' ecstatic voice backed up by intricate guitars and some excellent bass work by Gerard Prevost, one of the few band members who's not a part of the family tree. Even if you're not one to dance, your mind will be bouncing electric impulses around in rhythm to the track.
Not every song on this "best of" album is of equally high quality, notably "Qiero Saber," but there are some nifty little ditties on this disc.
Some of the gems like "Escucha Me," a walnut with a reggae back beat, and "Bem, Bem, Maria," the closest thing to typical Latin music on the album, may shock you when you stop to think about how much you're enjoying an album by a band of Gypsies.
In a time when artists are recycling their sounds for "Unplugged" albums and not always doing a good job of it, you'd be well-advised to give a listen to a band that's made its fortunes without the aid of over-amplified sounds, gaining world fame in the process.
And, heck, if you get a wild hair up your, um, whatever, you can just truck over to Merrillville, Ind., on April 29 to see them at Star Plaza. It might not be a bad idea.
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