Rocío Márquez came to prominence with her resounding triumph at the prestigious Lámpara Minera flamenco awards in 2008. While the singer released a live DVD, she preferred to put her recording debut on hold until she could do it on her own terms, which finally happened in 2012, when
Márquez signed with
Universal and released
Claridad.
José Luis Garrido produced, while guitarist
Alfredo Lagos accompanied
Márquez and wrote the arrangements. The only other guests are guitarist Guillermo Guillén, pianist
Rosa Torres Pardo, and horn player
Jorge Pardo.
Márquez sings her own compositions, some based on popular texts, and demonstrates throughout the album her impressive mastery of all of the flamenco variations, such as jotilla de Aroche, tango, bulería, nana, fandango, and of course, the cante minero that made her reputation. A treat for flamenco connoisseurs,
Claridad met with glowing reviews in Spain. ~ Mariano Prunes