Like two exhuberant minstrels, Dromedary's Andrew Reissiger and Rob McMaken weave an intoxicating pastiche of romantic, flamenco-tinged acoustic music that also at times borders on gypsy flavored jazz and world music. The duo performs all the songs on this debut album on acoustic/classical guitar, charango, mandolin, and cumbus, and the results swing with a peasant charm that had me thinking of my Spanish and Italian heritage, although at times you can also hear a bit of Celtic, Arabic, klezmer, and New Orleans jazz as well.
The band quotes themselves, saying that Dromeday started as a "big, ridiculous project", but the end results are anything but ridiculus. Melodies soar, arrangments are intricate yet simplistic, and the synergy between the two musicians is at times breathtaking. "Tukman's Cueca" for instance is a remarkable flamenco piece that will remind you of the great Paco DeLucia, as McMaken and Reissiger use their instruments not only as lead instruments carrying the main melody, but as a substitute for the percussion as well. On "Letter From the Front", Andrew's charango work is just beautiful, as he lays down some fast picking and gorgeous melodies. A real fun tune is "The Jolly Gobbler", where the duo run rings around each other as if they are telepathically linked somehow. Talk about chops!
This is one of the best acoustic projects I have heard in along time. Any fan of guitar oriented music will revel in the sumptuous sounds contained on this CD. Mandolins, guitars, charangos....oh my!
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