Mosaico
The nuevo flamenco trend in America has influenced many artists to jump  on the Latin guitar bandwagon, especially within a smooth jazz format. With his  latest album, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Govi strives for a  pop-friendly Latin guitar brew that stirs in subtle musical flavors, but the end  results are not as dynamic as one might expect. In fact, two of the songs sound  likeStrunz & Farahlite,  as Govi attempts a similarly modern sound but without the impressive technical  virtuosity. To his credit, Govi does try different approaches, whether  integrating sitar into the low-key "Spicy Dream," playing subdued electric  guitar on the sentimental "This Precious Moment," or exploring an upbeat soukous  vibe on "Afrodisiac." He has some ideas here, but it's surprising how he can  take a potentially intriguing combination--specifically the acoustic guitar  strums, bluesy electric axework, dancing panpipes, and bouncing bass found on  "Carousel"--and make it sound so safe.--Bryan Reesman