Flamingo Tours Lucha Libre (CD)

(Sound Flat Records) 10 tracks

The quintet Flamingo Tours plays its very own mixture of rhythm'n'blues, rock'n'roll, exotica, soul, surf and garage. Rock guitars, grooving beat and an incredibly soulful voice in the style of Etta James, Gizelle or Derriere can be heard.

Between shimmering Hammond and dreamy steel guitar there is a lot of charm and Iberian temperament. Lucha Libre' starts with the wildly rocking'Guerrero', which introduces Myriam Swanson's breathtakingly strong voice. The off beat vocal surf song'Mexican Dogfight' fits perfectly between the cool bar song'Sangrita' with jazzy Hammond and beautiful Spanish ballads like'Si Me Abrasas' and'Agarrame'.

The dramatic R'n'B song'It's Cheaper' immediately gives you goose bumps and Swanson even reminds you of Amy Winehouse. Dance To The Devil' opens the B-side as a loose rock'n'roll dance number, and'Dia De Muertos' is a gentle downtempo exotica song.

Finally, in the Mexican-American sounding'Rosita Went To Jail' the band even brings in countryesque elements like steel guitar and accordion. Lucha Libre' clearly stands out from the usual garage and Neo-60's releases and shows the Flamingo Tours as a highly talented insider tip.