Romantic Dreams

It's ironic that Bolero Records released this disc to specially coincide with Valentine's Day 2004, as if it's presenting a different, more romantic side of the brilliant modern flamenco player's artistry. The truth is that while he's never gotten the attention that Ottmar Liebert has, Armik's music has been for ten years a vibrant and ultra-sensuous part of the whole nouveau flamenco movement. This hits on the heels of Amor de Guitarra and keeps the love flowing from the get-go, opening with the midtempo dance-driven title track, which blends his sensual strains and string vibrato over sexy percussion lines and instantly catchy horn harmonies. "Moments" slows down to a bright reflective mode, while "Fantasia" lopes along a slope that implies the romance of a journey to a familiar yet also exotic place. It's fun following the bouncing tempos, from the wild and jumpy "Moonlight Cafe" to the cool moodiness of "Love Letters." The vibrant production colors, from rich percussion tapestries to synth horns, help the guitarist keep grounded in a Latin setting, but the focus throughout is more on the picture-perfect melodies and sweet atmospheres, which sometimes play like a film score to the listener's romantic daydreams. Don't fall for the liner notes' declaration that this is a special romance album. All of his stuff is. — Jonathan Widran.