2023 is the year of Fito Paez in Argentina and throughout the Hispanic world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Netflix has produced El Amor Despues Del Amor<\/em>, 8-episode biopic about the early years of his career, which began at the end of the dictatorship years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He continues an international tour celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of El Amor Despues Del Amor <\/em>(Love After Love), the best-selling rock album in Argentine history, released in 1992.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To complete this long loop, Fito Paez released EADDA9223<\/em>, which stands for El Amor Despues Del Amor 1992-2023<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This album is a kind of deconstruction or re-reading of the original, with different instrumentation and rhythms. Most of the tracks feature collaborators from several countries and generations, embodying the musical diversity of Latin America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brazilians Marisa Monte and Chico Buarque, Chilean Mon Laferte, Mexican Angela Aguilar, Argentinian rappers Nicki Nicole and Nathy Peluso, transgender soprano Maria Castillo De Lima, compatriot rockers Andres Calamaro and David Lebon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And let’s not forget flamenco singers Antonio Carmona and Estrella Morente. As well as old fellow Brit Elvis Costello, who contributed on several occasions with Fito.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1992 album was a rock album that was both commercial and exploratory. A rock that flirted with tango, some Latin and folk music and a touch of prog. Listen, for example, to “La Balada de Donna Helena”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like his mentor Charly Garcia, with whom he started out as a keyboardist and whom we see in the Netflix biopic, Fito Paez was trained as a classical pianist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In version 2.0, EADDA 9223<\/em> makes more room for string arrangements and a wider range of sonic explorations, but in several tracks, the overproduction proves detrimental. The essential vitality of certain songs is lost in this magma of arrangements. On the other hand, at 60, Mr. Paez’s voice is a little lower, which suits him well. The vocal harmonies between him and his partners are sometimes just fantastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For those of you with access to a streaming site (everyone, I presume), I suggest you listen to both versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The title track, “El amor despu\u00e9s del amor”,<\/em> is almost unrecognizable. Instead of the hectic groove with horns and torrid female vocals, it’s a gentle circus music with symphony orchestra, with a much slower tempo, that surprises us and ends with a children’s choir with an orchestra on the verge of dissonance. Quite astonishing, in a good way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The torrid horns are back on “Trafico por Katmandu”, where almost hard rock turns into jazz fusion, with Elvis Costello’s voice to boot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, the magnificent ballad “P\u00e9talo de Sel” suffers from overproduction compared to the original, where Fito Paez’s voice was so penetrating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But in the end, there are some very nice things on this album, which aims to federate an entire continent, plus Central America, Mexico, Spain and the Latin communities in the United States and here.The reworking of Detras del Muro de Los Lamentos (Behind the Wailing Wall), with dance and flamenco guitars, is fascinating. La Balada de Donna Helena adds symphonic hip-hop in its 2.0 version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fito Paez has been in a highly creative cycle for the past few years, and he seems intent on continuing to surprise us. He is also a very politically active citizen in a country that is so culturally rich and so socially and economically complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good luck to Argentina. Winning the World Cup is one thing. Solving its structural problems is more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pour celles et ceux d\u2019entre vous qui ont acc\u00e8s \u00e0 un site de diffusion en continu, (tout le monde je pr\u00e9sume) je vous sugg\u00e8re d\u2019\u00e9couter les deux versions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n La chanson titre, El amor despu\u00e9s del amor<\/em>, est presque m\u00e9connaissable. Au lieu du groove tr\u00e9pidant avec des cuivres et des voix f\u00e9minines torrides, c\u2019est une douce musique de cirque avec orchestre symphonique, avec tempo beaucoup plus lent, qui nous surprend et se termine par une chorale d\u2019enfants avec un orchestre au bord de la dissonance. Vachement \u00e9tonnant, dans le bon sens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Les cuivres torrides, nous les retrouverons sur Trafico por Katmandu<\/em>, o\u00f9 le rock presque hard se transforme en jazz fusion, avec la voix d\u2019Elvis Costello en prime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n En revanche, la magnifique ballade P\u00e9talo de Sel <\/em>souffre de surproduction comparativement \u00e0 l\u2019original, o\u00f9 la voix de Fito Paez \u00e9tait si p\u00e9n\u00e9trante. M\u00eame chose pour La Rueda Magica<\/em>, qui se voulait \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9poque un hommage musical aux Beatles et aux Rolling Stones, tout en \u00e9voquant les hauts et les bas de la vie de musicien. \u00c7a l\u00e8ve beaucoup moins que la premi\u00e8re version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mais au final, il y a de fort jolies choses sur cet album qui vise \u00e0 f\u00e9d\u00e9rer tout un continent, plus l\u2019Am\u00e9rique centrale, le Mexique, l\u2019Espagne et les communaut\u00e9s latines aux \u00c9tats-Unis et ici. <\/p>\n\n\n\n La relecture de Detras del Muro de Los Lamentos<\/em> (Derri\u00e8re le mur des lamentations), avec de la danse et des guitares flamencas, est fascinante. La Balada de Donna Helena ajoute<\/em> du hip-hop symphonique dans sa version 2.0. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fito Paez est dans un cycle tr\u00e8s cr\u00e9atif depuis les derni\u00e8res ann\u00e9es et il semble vouloir continuer de nous surprendre. Il est aussi un citoyen tr\u00e8s actif politiquement dans un pays si riche culturellement et tellement compliqu\u00e9 au niveau social et \u00e9conomique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bonne chance \u00e0 l\u2019Argentine. Gagner le Mondial est une chose. R\u00e9gler ses probl\u00e8mes structurels est plus difficile .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same goes for “La Rueda Magica”, which was intended at the time as a musical tribute to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, while evoking the ups and downs of life as a musician.It’s a lot less uplifting than the first version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n