Minton is not only a fine vocalist (singing in both English and Spanish) but a superb harpist.
Adhyâropa Records ÂR00191
Tara Minton (harp, vocals); Miguel Gorodi (trumpet, flugelhorn); John Williamson (double bass); David Ingamells (drums); Emilio Yañez Ruíz (percussion); Ernesto Marichales (maracas); Sara Colman, Clare Wheeler (vocals).
Recorded Fish Factory Studio April 2025
Guitarist Al Di Meola raced with the devil on a Spanish Highway, but on this album, Tara Minton kicks off with a song in which Satan invites you to dance with him. Australian-born Tara Minton has played with a diverse range of artists, from the Icelandic singer Björk to Ronnie Scott’s All Stars.
This album – Minton’s fourth as leader – is a love letter to Mexico. It was inspired by two previous trips to the country, first with fiddle player Miranda Mulholland in 2020, and later with singer Ester Wiesnerova in 2023. Minton fell under the spell of Mexico’s culture, people, sounds and vibrancy. She returned to Mexico, and during a two-week burst of creativity, composed all of the ten songs on this album.
This is a global recording in every sense of the word, inspired and composed in Latin America and recorded in London, with a line-up of musicians who hail from Australia, England, Mexico, Venezuela and Spain. One British musician grew up in Kenya. Incidentally, the striking mural of Minton that adorns the album cover really exists: it’s on a wall in Coyoacán, a borough of Mexico City.
Minton is not only a fine vocalist (singing in both English and Spanish) but a superb harpist. Many people view the harp as a form of musical decoration, but there were times when I had to look at the musician credits to confirm that there wasn’t a guitarist present, because the harp was being played more like a rhythm guitar.
The album starts off with a cracking number, the title track. Over a slinky bass line and the gentle rhythmic beat of claves, Minton half-sings, half speaks in soft, silky, sensuous tones – temptation indeed. Miguel Gorodi’s bright, soaring trumpet lines fill the air with drama, as do Minton’s occasional vocal cries, which evoke the sound of the Middle East.
‘El Colibri’ (Hummingbird) starts off with some delicate harp playing, the soft, rippling lines accompanied by birdsong. Thirty seconds in and the song transforms into a joyous, midtempo Latin number with Minton’s wordless vocals reminding me of Tania Maria’s ‘Come With Me.’ This is one of those numbers where the harp plays the rhythm along with David Ingamells driving drumbeat and Emilio Yañez Ruíz’s percussion. Minton’s harp solo full of swirling lines and ripples is followed by Gorodi’s rousing trumpet solo. There’s also a neat handclaps/drums/percussion breakdown section.
Emilio Yañez Ruíz wrote the lyrics to the ballad ‘Cariño’ and taught Minton how to sing the song in Spanish. It’s a fine performance of a moving song. ‘Shadow Dance,’ starts off with some spoken Spanish. It’s very much a showcase for Minton’s talents as a harpist and she’s joined by Ernesto Marichales on maracas. It’s a lovely piece of music.
‘En Otra Vida’ is another memorable number. Minton describes it as a three-part melody with a shifting harmony. She’s joined by Sara Colman and Clare Wheeler to form a vocal trio whose voices blend, spin around each other, soar away and then rejoin; the equivalent of a vocal murmuration. ‘A More Colourful Life,’ is a powerful ballad featuring a bass solo from John Williamson and more soaring trumpet from Gorodi.
The one-minute long ‘Último Baile Con El Diablo’ (‘Last Dance With The Devil’) is a brief reprise of the title track’s theme, this time with lyrics spoken in Spanish. It leads onto the closing tune, ‘My Heart Is A Song,’ a song that brings this excellent album to a soaring, uplifting ending. Nosotras amamos Mexico!
