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Upbeat, refined, and congenial as ever, Café Tropical is the sixth release from Canadian-born guitarist Johannes Linstead; and like the others before it, it's a crisply performed, easy-to-like collection of nouveau flamenco destined to brighten the atmosphere, particularly at summer patio parties. Linstead, principally playing Spanish guitar (plus keyboards and assorted percussion with contributions from 10 other instrumentalists) is a nimble guitarist and tasteful composer who tones down flamenco's most incendiary tendencies just enough to create lively, feel-good melodies with suitable-for-all-audiences intentions. Prime examples: the disc's warm, soulful opener, "Cien Fuegos," and the trumpet-fueled title track, a piece that closely parallels "Mango" from 2001's Guitarra del Fuego. While tame by traditional standards, Linstead intermittently launches note-dense sorties on Café Tropical to showcase his formidable technique, and his inclusion of Cuban jazz pianist Hilario Duran on two tracks adds a welcomed taste of improvisational flair to the otherwise tightly structured proceedings.
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