"All the cigarettes that I have never smoked, and all the letters that I have never sent" is the refrain from Russian Red's opening track, "Cigarettes", one of the highlights from her debut album I love your glasses, which was released in June of this year here in the states. The song, a tune about regret, is just a taste of the beautifully crafted songs found throughout this album. Russian Red is the stage name of relatively unknown (at least here in the U.S) Spanish acoustic-folk singer Lourdes Hernandez (pronounced "ernandeth"), a 22 year old student from Madrid, Spain, who chose to sing in English rather than her native Castilian Spanish because she said that she felt that more people could recognize and relate to her music. Little information is available about Lourdes Hernandez online. But from what I could gather, she was a promising musical talent in Madrid, and Eureka records signed her to a record deal as fast as they could. When I first heard her lustrous voice while listening to a friend's online playlist, I couldn't help but wonder where the singer was from. I thought she could possibly be from Appalachia or somewhere in the states. But after I searched online to see where she was from, I was fairly surprised when I learned that she was from Madrid, Spain. You'd be hard pressed to find a Spanish accent in her voice, which is why I thought she was from the states. Most of the songs on the album are rather slow and mellow, soothing and gentle, even. The music seems to showcase her haunting vocals rather than try and hide or minimize them, something so many artists do these days. At first listen, her voice has similarities with Californian folk songstress Joanna Newsom and Massachusetts singer Marissa Nadler. But after listening to a couple more songs from the album, the Newson and Nadler similarities seem to fade, and one realizes that there's a uniqueness to her voice that becomes apparent after a few plays. I suspect that Russian Red won't be relatively unknown here in the states for long, for attractive young women with her talent don't stay unknown for long, which I believe will be the case with the 22 year old.
Russian Red is currently touring Spain in support of her debut album, I love your glasses.
You can check out her myspace here: www.myspace.com/russianready And this is my favorite song off the album, "Cigarettes": And this is the music video for her current single, "They don't believe":
I've always had a soft spot for Pop and Rock music from Spain. A lot of music, in general, from Europe is devoid of the overproduction that happens over here in the states. Thus, their music doesn't sound as "polished" or overproduced as most Pop and Rock music in the states does. A lot of bands and artists sound much more raw and pure, something that isn't the case here.
Anyway, here are a few of my favorite artists and bands: Edurne
Edurne is a pop artist from Villalba, Madrid. She was in the 4th edition of Operacion Triunfo, an American Idol-like singing competition and reality show. She didn't win, but was one of the top 4 or so finalists. I've always had a soft spot for her, even though her latest album, a covers album of songs from Musicals, is utter trash. Her first album, self-titled, is much more rock-based and far better than her later efforts. I am a sucker for this dance song from her second album, Ilusion, though. It's called "Ven por mi", which is Castilian Spanish for "Come for me".
Conchita
Conchita is an acoustic pop artist who was born in Finland but grew up in Madrid who sings about relationships, love, and writes music straight from the heart. She's probably my favorite artist from Spain. You believe that she truly has gone through some of the situations and things she sings about in her music, and her music isn't your average "We broke up, I'm heartbroken"-type of songs This is her latest single, "Puede ser" (which translates to "It could be" in English) from her debut album, Nada mas (Which translates to "Nothing more"). It's a top 5 single in many European countries, and has been a top 4 single in Spain. My favorite song from her, though, is this one that reached no.1 in many European countries, including her home, Spain, called "Nada que perder" (which translates to "Nothing to lose") It's a song about running into an ex who you are not quite over, not knowing what exactly to say, but eventually deciding between staying quiet or running after said ex and having "nothing to lose"
Amaral
Amaral is a rock band with folk and pop influences, who are from Zaragoza. Many of their songs are inspired by poetic lyrics and different musical influences. They've been around since the late 90's and have had 4 albums, including their latest album, titled "Gato Negro, Dragon Rojo" (Black cat, Red Dragon), which is currently no.1 in Spain. This is their latest single, and current no.1 song on the Spanish charts, "Kamikaze". It's one of their best songs, and it's one of my favorites. I'm not usually a big fan of tattoos, but the lead singer, Eva Amaral, (Her surname is where the band gets its name from) has a kickass tat on her back. See if you can spot it in this video.
Pereza
Pereza is a rock band from Madrid. They formed in 2001. They've released five albums, and have had great success with each album. This video, "Todo" (it translates to "Everything"), which features two snails that appear to be getting it on, is my favorite song from them and is from their third album, Animales, which is Castlian Spanish for "Animals". http://youtube.com/watch?v=tMevDh0ySDs (it won't let me embed the video)
Murfila
Murfila is a pop-rock singer from Barcelona. She's recorded two albums, her debut was titled Vamos Hacer Pupita, and her sophomore effort, released last year, is titled Miss Lios. I've always wondered why her record label has never released any of her albums or singles overseas to North America. I think she has what it takes to make it big in Spanish-speaking countries. Although, I think the fact that she looks and sounds a bit like Gwen Stefani in a lot of her videos and songs might be a reason why her music wasn't released here. No one likes a copycat. Granted, even though she may sound and look like Gwen, she has yet to record anything like the crap that is Gwen's solo albums. This is my favorite song from her. It's from her second album; the song is called "Caliente". And trust me, the video is quite caliente. She seems to really have an aversion to clothes. I don't think I've ever seen her wear jeans. Ever. Can't say I mind, either.
