Sandra Carrasco

Sandra Carrasco’s anxiously awaited debut album was released in September 2011. It is one of this year’s most inspired, exquisite and elegant records. It reflects a very special sensitivity and announces the arrival of a unique artist. Produced by Javier Limón, the album was highly anticipated, because when a voice like Sandra Carrasco’s appears, one has to stop and listen. “When I listen to Sandra sing, she takes me back to bygone days, mixing tradition and modernity. Without a doubt, Sandra is one of the major voices of today’s musical scene,” said Israeli string bassist Avishai Cohen, who plays on the record and who invited Sandra to share the stage with him at L’Olympia, in Paris, earlier in the year; Likewise, Anoushka Shankar (Ravi Shankar’s daughter), has also invited Sandra on her European tour, scheduled for November and December this year. It is by no means commonplace to find an interpretative spirit of such feeling and originality. Sandra Carrasco bears this out on her first album, accompanied by top musicians who create a melting pot of cultures, and who launch her songs toward a global village that knows no borders.

“People are going to find something different,” says Sandra. “It’s not a flamenco record—it’s very modern—but it has very deep roots in cante jondo (pure flamenco singing). It goes from one place to another, it’s fresh and new. And above all, it’s a very elegant musical production, and the way Javier Limón has handled my voice… We’ve found the path we wanted."

Entitled simply Sandra Carrasco, the album has a special character, as Andalusian as it is different, thanks to the production, and to the extraordinary songs and a cast of musicians brought in from the four corners of the world. They include Avishai Cohen with master guitarist Pepe Habichuela and his son Josemi Carmona, as well as Turkish, Moroccan, Cuban, French, Lebanese, Spanish, Palestinian and American musicians, graduates of the Berklee School of Music… “The record is a gathering of cultures from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Spain, flamenco….,” explains Sandra. "The search for different tones was the product of our daily work, and of listening to many things. We’ve all learned from it, and it has taken on meaning.”

“We sought musicians who would enrich the sound, and we didn’t stop until we got what we wanted,” Sandra states. “The contribution made by Avishai Cohen in Le pregunté a los cielos is a form of musical brutality—it’s out of this world! Javier knows quite well which musicians he wants to work with, and I enjoyed it all like a little girl. Everything made sense.” And she goes on talking about the record, about those lyrics inspired by the deep and intimate artistic communion between Javier Limón and Sandra. “I see the song lyrics as special, not at all conventional," she says. “They’re marvelous texts, little fragments that take you to different places, almost like paintings. They’re very classy; they deal a lot with colors, beautiful things, little details…. They remind me strongly of Andalusia. And the music is very modern; it breaks from what we’re used to hearing.”

Sandra Carrasco was born in Huelva, where she studied music. “I’ve felt that music was my thing since I was a little girl. In school I was always tapped for all musical performances, and I can recall going on stage during the Huelva carnival season, singing with the groups from the time I was quite small. I was also a member of a choir, with which I recorded seven records. I’ve been singing since I was seven” she says, although her career path began to climb when she joined the musical comedy Enamorados anónimos and soon afterwards was being called to do background vocals with Arcángel, Estrella Morente, Manolo Sanlúcar, El Pele and others. “There was a key moment when the light bulb flashed on: it happened the first time I worked with Estrella Morente,” Sandra continues. “It was incredible, because I spent the entire performance crying. Estrella