A magical feeling of harmony

Ojos de Brujo

“Bari” (World Village/Harmonia Mundi)

****

“Bari” is one of those extraordinary albums that define a sound and an era. The sound is flamenco fusion, and the era is now.

The CD, in stores Tuesday, marks the U.S. debut of the Barcelona, Spain-based group, which recently won the BBC’s World Music Award for best European band. With a U.S. tour scheduled this year, Americans will get to see in person what all the overseas excitement is about.

This eclectic ensemble emerged from Barcelona’s effervescent urban culture far from the flamenco orthodoxy of southern Spain.

So the band, like the cosmopolitan port city itself, was open to cultural crosscurrents, from American DJ scratching and rapping to North African and Indian drumbeats.

The fusion of flamenco with rock, jazz and other styles is nothing new, but Ojos de Brujo, which means Eyes of the Wizard, creates such a fresh and intoxicating brew that it marks a new reference point for the music.

From the opening bars of the 40-second intro, with its seductive rhythms and harmonies, the music casts a bewitching spell. The first five of the 11 tracks work like a minisuite, a progression of musical styles accompanying the unfolding of the group’s major theme -- the power of this music to heal and redeem.

Most of the lyrics are by singer Marina “La Canillas” Abad, the band’s commanding central figure who dresses in flowing Gypsy skirts and colorful headbands. Though not a Gypsy herself, Abad captures the Gypsy sense of seething, wounded outrage at the world’s cruelty. In “Naita,” she opens with a borrowed flamenco verse: “My blood rebels when I get to thinking / That here some have it all, while others have nothing at all.”

But Abad goes beyond the traditional flamenco lament, the centuries-old cry of “Ay” expressing the outcast’s despair. Her message is uplifting, urgent, passionate. Even in her moments of hopelessness and dread, as in the haunting “Tiempo de Solea,” she closes by offering street kids “a bit of hip-hop flamenco-lite (un poquillo de jipjop flamenquillo) to put something really good in your veins.”

Musically, the band is anchored by the flamenco guitar of Ramon Gimenez, who is Gypsy. His classic flamenco riffs and thrilling strumming provide the band’s sonic signature. He’s supported by a rag-tag collection of top-notch musicians with diverse musical backgrounds.

Flamenco, like Afro-Cuban music, has an enormous capacity to absorb outside musical styles without losing its identity. What distinguishes Ojos de Brujo from other fusion groups is the perfect stylistic balance it has struck. “Bari,” originally released in Spain in 2002, takes its title from a Gypsy word that means something precious but also refers, as percussionist Xavi explains it, to “the feeling that everything in life is in perfect harmony.”

That magical feeling of harmony despite the world’s anguish lies at the heart of this beautifully burnished work of art.

Master of mariachi still in top form

Vicente Fernandez

“Se Me Hizo Tarde la Vida” (Sony Discos)

*** 1/2

The voice of Vicente Fernandez is one of Mexico’s great cultural gifts, an extraordinary instrument capable of booming power and tender subtleties. After more than three decades as the prime exponent of mariachi music, it’s thrilling to hear him still in top form.

Fernandez almost single-handedly has kept the genre alive as a recording art, though his sons, Alejandro and Vicente Jr., have helped. The offspring make a guest appearance here on the humorous “Al Mayor de Los Fernandez” (To the Elder Fernandez), a dialogue between patriarch and sons on who inherited their father’s talent and onetime weakness for women.

The family collaboration, however, proves only that the elder’s voice is not easily replaced even with his own genes. In this clear and balanced recording, produced and arranged by Pedro Ramirez, Fernandez’s vocals have a remarkable lifelike presence.

The album features a mix of moods and tempos, from aching boleros to lively rancheras. Whether playful or soulful, all the songs display strong storytelling and lyrical finesse. He even finds a new twist to the drown-your-sorrows-in-tequila theme, with “La Primera Con Agua” (The First One With Water).

More than half the 12 tracks are slow-tempo torch songs in which Fernandez shows off his emotional range and technical control.

The lovely “Companera de mi Vida” (Companion of My Life), a vow of renewed romance in marriage, works especially well for the veteran singer, who recently stopped dying his hair, letting it turn white.

He closes by returning to the theme of renewed passion in the sensual “La Peor de Mis Locuras” (My Worst Craziness), projecting that perpetual vigor that is his gift to this fading folk art form.

Mature work worth following

Michael Stuart

“Sin Miedo” (RMM/Universal)

***

This excellent salsa singer came out of the ‘90s Latin New York scene that also gave us Marc Anthony and La India. In his fifth album, Stuart still retains his R&B-inflected; vocal style and polished production values. But he has dropped the narcissistic excesses reflected in the beef-cake cover shot on his last album, which listed his masseuse among the credits. His look now is more natural and genuine, like his music. Produced by Raul del Sol, “Sin Miedo” (No Fear) drops the glossy salsa formulas for an earthier mix of tropical rhythms and soulful ballads seasoned with Dan Warner’s tasty Latin-rock guitar.

One particularly infectious track, “Noche de Fuego” (Night of Fire), provides an appealing sample of the latest rhythm to sweep Latin Manhattan, a rap-and-reggae fusion called reggaeton. With this more mature and eclectic work, Stuart finally emerges as an artist worth following.

Good grooves and catchy hooks

Elvis Crespo

“Saborealo” (Ole)

** 1/2

The 1998 novelty hit “Suavemente” helped this shaggy-haired Puerto Rican singer become an international rage. The song’s monotonic merengue style was ideal for Crespo’s constricted range, and he milked it for a follow-up, “Pintame.”

But like “La Macarena,” the novelty inevitably wore off and became annoying. Crespo is hoping for a comeback now with his first release on the new label launched by former Sony Discos executive Oscar Llord. Crespo leaves the novelty behind, offering a solid set of danceable merengue with good grooves and catchy hooks. But it’s not likely to recapture the singer’s glory days, especially because the straight material reveals his vocal limitations.

Still beauty pageant material

Alicia Machado

“Alicia Machado” (Jaleo/Universal)

**

MACHADO, a former Miss Universe (1996), was publicly chided by pageant owner Donald Trump for gaining too much weight after her win. She never wanted to be a beauty queen anyway, claimed the former model and soap opera actress. She always dreamed of being a singer.

For her recording debut, this Venezuelan beauty appears to have slimmed, but her undistinguished, affected vocals haven’t evolved beyond the talent portion of a beauty pageant. The songs are routine romantic fare, mostly with peppy pop-rock arrangements.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent). They are already in stores unless noted.