Reviews

12:39 PM CDT on Friday, April 14, 2006

By MARIO TARRADELL / The Dallas Morning News

Even before they hit the stage, Austin's six-man flamenco Latin rock band Del Castillo set the mood Thursday night at the Lakewood Theater. A large tapestry hung from the back wall, with its psychedelic mosaic and group name in emblematic letters engulfing the platform. Votive candles on pedestals adorned either end of the stage. And plenty of incense burned, filling the room with an alluring scent.

But the decor was nothing compared with the show. For an hour and 45 minutes Del Castillo sizzled, delivering tight musicianship, passionate showmanship from lead singer Alex Ruiz and an intoxicatingly rhythmic combination of flamenco, Latin rock, blues and some R&B. The band went on after a short set by fellow Austin rockers Vallejo.

Del Castillo owned the night. The gig formed part of their Texas tour in support of the new CD Brotherhood, a rich mix of its signature sound plus a Mexican corrido and a gypsy-styled country tune. The sextet – which also features Spanish guitarists Mark and Rick del Castillo, bassist Albert Besteiro, percussionist Rick Holeman and drummer Mike Zeoli – plans to tour the rest of the U.S. soon, but for now it's all about the home state.

That's good. We get them fresh. More like fiery, actually. From the opening number "Si, Mi Amor" to the encore finale "El Corrido de Don Lulai," the band was tireless. Sure, the Del Castillo brothers had to stop and stretch their hands after many flamenco jams that had them furiously strumming their instruments, but they never lost the energy.

Neither did Mr. Ruiz, a compelling frontman whose powerful voice carried through each tune, no matter whether he was singing in Spanish or English. He's also a stylish dancer who had the flamenco hand gestures and deliberate movements down pat. His knee-length scarf billowed as he spun.

Now combine that with killer songs, most of them culled from Brotherhood. "Ganate el Mundo" showcased a soulful shuffle with so much Latin flavor. "Vida Latina" worked as a percussive, harmonica-laced Latin rocker. "Talkin' to Ya" started out Santana-inspired before it broke into a wicked R&B-rock groove during the chorus. "Sueños Madrigales" was pure flamenco fire. "Arena al Viento" was a fierce flamenco Latin rocker that had folks dancing in the aisles.

Watching Del Castillo perform makes you rejoice over independent music. While the group no doubt deserves to be heard by the mainstream multitudes – great music should always find a large audience – doing it the grassroots way as they have ensures we clearly hear that smoldering hybrid of flamenco, Latin rock, blues and R&B. So why mess with a great thing?

E-mail mtarradell@dallasnews.com