Open Web Player
You will look in vain for Marty’s 1962 signature hit "Devil woman" (she appears nowhere near the core album ISLAND WOMAN), and you will search idly for the Marty Robbins Latin Album—which really should exist artistically but doesn't, quite. The devil woman's voodoo ghost haunts the Caribbean album, however, and as an appendix Bear Family have included the vestigial traces, six or so bonus tracks carefully sung in phonetic Spanish, that might have formed the nucleus of a fine Robbins Latin album: these latter are the real highlights here.
Robbins' two Hawaiian albums were deservedly big hits, and it was natural for him to make his Caribbean followup, evoking that devil woman, in the gloomy Nashville winter of 1963-64 with the customary lineup of producers Don Law and Frank Jones, Grady Martin on guitar, Bill Pursell on piano and the great brothers Glaser singing fraternal backup harmony. There's a lot of new Robbins material here, none of it particularly inspired, and the two standout tracks are outside the Caribbean: the sorrowful "Tahitian boy" and "Sweet bird of paradise." The album as a whole is no match for the consistently brilliant Hawaiiana Robbins recorded. Still, he took artistic risks no one else in Nashville, save Ray Price (also produced by Law and Jones), dared venture at the time.
Perhaps Latinate repertoire was just too risky. Johnny Rodriguez and Freddy Fender had yet to conquer Nashville with important bilingual hits, and Robbins dithered, temptingly, around the fringes of the lucrative Latin market. He'd composed and sung borderlands songs impressively since 1959, and in 1967 there was his terrifically piquant Tejano concept album TONIGHT CARMEN of all-original material, sung almost entirely in English. As a test run for new producer Bob Johnston (veteran of Bob Dylan sessions) he recorded "Yours" in English, marking the mainland segue in this collection, then followed up with a Spanish version plus five classic Latino standards beautifully (but not idiomatically) sung in Spanish in close harmony with little more than guitar backing. It's possible these are just rough demos, lacking the final overdub sweetening Nashville producers usually layer on. In any event, the songs sat in the can unreleased, finally surfacing on the 1973 compilation album BOUND FOR OLD MEXICO.
Purists might object to Robbins' casual mangling of a noble language, but he certainly gets the florid melodies passionately right (as he proved in his final bilingual hit "Return to me," in 1978). His island-voodoo originals are interesting novelties (and the early Glaser harmonies are superb), while Robbins’ much sparer Latino classics are the more important keepers here, sequels to the uniquely brilliant TONIGHT CARMEN project. Bear Family’s presentation is typically deluxe, with restored stereo sound, booklet discography and that dreamy original cover artwork from ISLAND WOMAN.
Frequently bought together
$15.24
Get it Nov 20 - Dec 12
In stock
Usually ships within 2 to 3 days.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2011
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2014
Top reviews from other countries
Beaniegirl
Marty Robbins at his best
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2013
