Search - Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra :: La Semana

Another hit from the guitar God :)

Adam Solomon | Bellmore, Long Island, NY | 08/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you've never heard of Mr. Liebert and his band Luna Negra, this is the perfect introductory album; if you're a fan of theirs to begin with, then you should know never to expect with a new album anything like what they've done before. "La Semana" is perhaps the deepest and most emotional of the 20+ Ottmar albums recorded in the last decade and a half, and it would make a serious claim to being his best if there were indeed any way to measure his best.



Perhaps the first thing that needs to be said about this album is how it flows as a whole...your typical modern album is simply a collection of loose songs. "La Semana", perhaps even more than any of Ottmar's previous albums, flows amazingly well, as if the whole album were one continuous song that you never want to end...you'll never get tired of this album in the middle, and decide to switch off after, say, track 5. There are perhaps two tracks on the album that I don't much care for ("Echoes of a Caress" and "Evening"), and even those are so beautiful they never warrant switching off the album.



However, the album has its share of individual hits--perhaps so much that almost every song can be considered a "hit". This is one of the few albums I have ever heard where each song really means something, nothing seems to be "filler", and it truly shows. Whenever I make a compilation of Ottmar's best songs for a friend, La Semana always seems to be better represented than any other album for this exact reason, every song is astounding in itself. From the funky rhythyms of "AlhambraJackson", to the lovestruck melodies of "La Luna" and the deep, moody, Moorish atmosphere of "Cocteau", every song stands out on its own and from each other. No two songs sound alike, and each is simply captivating...



"La Semana" represents a completely new step of OL + LN, although in reality every album of theirs does to some degree. The album shows a revert to Mr. Liebert's funk roots of old, which have shown themselves on previous albums, although never to this degree. The band was on the verge of keeping this album confined to their website stores, and considering the nature of today's record companies, it is a gift to the world that they're releasing this to stores. The mixture of funk, flamenco, jazz, bossa nova, rhumba, and more, create a simply undescribable and completely irresistable album that any true lover of music must add to their collection."

The Greatest One Yet

Carol | Chamberlain, SD USA | 08/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is a mesmerizing adventure. It takes me to such a variety of places with so many different emotions and feelings. a happy carnival, a night filled with mystery, the lilt of being in a happy place with one I love.

In Cocteau I can imagine I'm a part of a desert caravan or maybe riding an Indian elephant in some glittering procession.

Such variety, from music you just can't sit still to music so deep and touching you must be still because it moves you so deeply and enters so completey that days aferwards that music remains a part of you. I wake in the morning with "Cave in My Heart" still there and I smile. It will be a good day."

The Very Best of Ottmar's Music

Salma Siddique | Maryland | 08/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alluring and haunting music which captures your mind, heart and imagination is one way to describe 'La Semana'. It is like a very interesting book which reveals something new with turning of each page. 'La Semana' is like a beautiful painting which you never get tired of seeing day after day.

It's refreshingly original music is the best creation of Ottmar Liebert."