A Hero But Not His Finest Hour

Again, the "next one off the shelf" policy throws up an anomaly. The album Mambo Sinuendo by Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban. I have loads of Ry Cooder albums and he is a long standing hero of mine but this album is the weakest. That's not to say it is bad but it does veer dangerously close to kitsch at times. It was recorded in the wake of the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon ( ironically that is one album I don't have ) and Ry here is concentrated on showcasing the guitar style of Manuel Galban. This is a sort of laid back fifties electric sound, heavy on reverb like a kind of sophisticated Shadows. Some of the tunes are pleasing melodies and there is an exquisite version of the old Doris Day hit Secret Love where Ry takes more of a forward role on guitar. I suspect the album works perfectly as an early evening accompaniment to cocktails somewhere tropical.