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Rodrigo y Gabriela: 11:11 | Sunday Times
UK Review
Much like Antonio Forcione, the Mexican flamenco-rock duo
bring a new kind of athleticism to acoustic power chords.
Melodically, they’re less subtle: many of their tunes
establish a pulsating vamp and then settle for turning up
the rhythm knob to the vaunted number 11. But the mercurial
fingerwork is mesmerising, and rockers will enjoy the echoes
of Hendrix on Buster Voodoo. Another axe duo, Strunz &
Farah, briefly sit in, while the metal hero Alex Skolnick
sets the room screaming on Atman, a number that blossoms magically
out of Chac Mool. The Gipsy Kings-meet-Led Zep ethos will
never appeal to the faint-hearted, but it’s hard not
to be impressed by the sheer energy. Rubyworks RWXCD111X
Rodrigo y Gabriela: 11:11 | The Guardian
(View
online)
**** 4 stars : Reviewed by Robin Denselow
Friday 4 September 2009
Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quinetro started off playing
heavy metal in Mexico City. Then they become an acoustic guitar
duo, mixing jazz and Latin influences with bluesy riffs, and
moved to Ireland, where they became superior buskers before
conquering the world's concert halls. But their second live
album, released last year, sounded like a stopgap. They urgently
needed new material, and it's provided by these 11 instrumental
pieces, each written in thanks to very different musicians
who inspired them, from Hendrix to Spanish flamenco guitarist
Paco de Lucia or the Palestinian oud players of Le Trio Joubran.
There are more changes of mood and pace than in the past,
with new textures provided by the addition of oud, sitar,
piano, and even electric guitar. The best tracks include Hunaman,
Buster Voodoo and Chac Mool, but all feature the remarkable
interplay between the two guitarists.
Q REVIEW OF 11:11
First self-penned album from former metal Mexicans.
You couldn't make it up. Metal-to-the-core Mexican duo find
themselves broke in Dublin, decide to busk Slayer and Metallica
songs as acoustic Latin numbers, everyone mistakes it for
flamenco and in Ireland their self-titled 2006 release hits
Number 1. Since then Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero
have honed their dazzling virtuosity while struggling to shrug
off a novelty "world" tag. Their first album of
entirely self-penned instrumentals should finally see and
end to that, the fluid yet percussive tunes also impossibly
nimble. You simply won't believe just two acoustic guitars
can make such sounds.
Andy Fyfe **** 4/5
Download: Buster Voodoo / Logos / Atman
MOJO REVIEW OF 11:11
The second album by the Dublin based Mexican metalheads is
an awesome thing in which every trick in the hard-rock manual
is applied to the duo's latin rhythms and acoustic wizardry.
The results fall somewhere netween John Williams, Paco de
Lucia and whichever axe hero they're paying tribute to on
each of the 11 tracks. Continued success guaranteed. ****
4/5
Secret Garden Party 2009 - Spoonfed London ( View
here )
"And then, as if it couldn't get any better, Rodrigo
Y Gabriela start on the main stage. These guitarists are the
best I've ever seen. The noises they draw from their instruments
defy reason. Their fingers a blur, they play on and on and
the crowd dance and shout and bow down to their immense skill."
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