Obsession
Obsessionfeatures some of the finest flamenco-style pickers, including the enormously popular New Age artistOttmar Liebert. While Liebert'snuevo flamencohas been called the equivalent of flamenco-lite by critics and the genre's purists, in his drum- and keyboard-supplemented rounded chord progressions there is an easy, accessible charm that appeals to a more mainstream audience. Cast alongside the work of the fieryJesse Cook, the old-world beauty ofOscar Lopez, and others, Liebert and company offer up a recording of sensual and emotive grace, to be enjoyed as accompaniment to a romantic interlude, a reflective solo bath soak, or as inspiration while stirring paella. The standout isObsession's opening number, Cook's "Cancion Triste," which sets the scene with its textured, sweeping cinematic beauty and splendidly woebegone cello line.--Paige La Grone