DICEN QUE SOMOS DIOSES Y NOS SOÑAMOS HOMBRES

Admirable heir of the RiO/AV founders. Must be heard to believe!

Some reviewer points out, wisely, that whenever you see this musician's name on an album, do not hesitate to aquire it. Well I did and glad to have done so. Here is my review.

In the true manner of this Prog sub-genre's greatest talents, this mexican multi-instrumentalist, composer, is brave and daring enough, to add up his own musical "discoveries" to this quiet chaotic and extense "musical planet".

For starters his language has a wide scope of "moods" and directions. From symphonic to heavy/prog to electronic to folk and other routes. Not everything is as the art cover suggests, a dark grieving matter. Next and best, there is no close connection to any kind of mexican transvestite "folkloric" music, apart from its some songs being sung in spanish by vocalist Margarita Botello. Let's say this music has no exact physical geography, besides its inherent place among "universal" great music.

It is epic, it is poingnant, it is restless, it is eclectic and sometimes, if required, it is sweet and soft.

It is enticing. It holds no unecessary "paraphernalia". This music is extremely well balanced and intelligent, yet unpretentious, but still excitingly daring. It reminds me of a lot of bands, but never to the point of surrendering its own musical idiom, which is quiet a thrill and an unexpected surprise.

Therefore, whenever you are "lucky" enough to see JOSE LUIS FERNANDEZ LEDESMA's *"Dicen Que Somos Dioses y Nos Sonamos Hombres", get it asap, you would not regret it at all! *"They say we are Gods and dream ourselves Men."

****4 + my review, PA stars.

In 2000 another archival recording of Ledesma comes to evidence, an album said to be originally released in 1993 on cassette and survived now on CD format by the Mexical label Smogless Records.On ''Dicen que somos dioses y nos sonamos hombres'' Ledesma collaborates with his long-time partner and singer Margarita Botello and percussionist Raul Flores, while his guest list contains some 10 names, most importantly bassist Hugo Santos, later to become a bandmate of LedesmA on Saena and original member of Luz de Riada.

Most tracks show Ledesma performing on keyboards and traditional strings, Botello singing and playing the piano and Flores handling the percussion, but each of them includes one or more guests, the significant presence of whom directs the music to either symphonic, jazzy or folkier territories.Additional instruments include oboe, sax, guitars, pipe, cello, flutes, trumpet etc., so you can easily imagine how versatile this album is.But Ledesma has proven to be an excellent composer over time and he somehow manages to keep a tight bridge between all the pieces, this work appears to have an easy flow from start to the very end, despite involving pre-Hispanic, Jazz, Classical and even some experimental orientations.This link is propably the mood for an always romantic, elaborate and delicate music, propelled by the use of acoustic guitars, the clean, choir-like voice of Bottello and the elegance of traditional instruments.Some really great orchestrations in here, featuring a plethora of keyboard preludes and interludes, swinging with more acoustic textures and light symphonic movements with wind instruments and piano.There are of course still some electric Prog Rock in here, recalling Ledesma's stint with NIRGAL VALLIS and driven by soft keyboard/guitar interplays, but once more the true majesty will be found here in the originality of the more acoustic pieces and the unique combination of female voices, folky influences and keyboard arrangements.An album flirting often with Folk-Fusion through the mellow but very adventurous interplays and an overall jazzy feel in the acoustic interactions.

Among the great works of Ledesma.Remember, this is still 1993 and the music is pretty excellent for a style that has not fully returned.Lovely collage of Folk, Classical and Fusion the result is.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.