Los Umbrellos - Flamenco Funk (1998)

Here is an act that I actually saw in person during their heyday - not performing, but signing the wall at Toronto's most celebrated record store, Sam The Record Man. Two gargantuan girls in brightly coloured knee-high boots and cowboy hats were kind of hard to miss. I didn't really know who they were, but I grabbed this CD for $1 years later and soon found out. The album was produced by a crew that were primarily known for making euro-house music. That's what I expected from this album. Instead, it sticks pretty closely to what the album title suggests. A man (African Al Agami) rhymes verses in a fake Jamaican accent while two ladies (Danes Mai Britt Grondahl & Grith Höifeldt) sing the choruses in often fake Spanish accents, while the music incorporates pop, latin, funk, ragga, hip hop, R&B and a host of other styles. The mix resulted in their first single, "No Tengo Dinero" (unfortunately not a cover of the Righeira italo disco classic), almost making it into the Billboard Top 40 and becoming a hit worldwide. Alas, a sound so unique and, yes, so cheesy would not leave much hope for a follow-up, and their subsequent singles "Gigolo", "Easy Come Easy Go" and a remake of The Cars' "Drive" (!?) did not fare near as well. But it was fun while it lasted!

Video for No Tengo Dinero

Download Flamenco Funk

1		Sweep
2		Easy Come, Easy Go
3		No Tengo Dinero
4		Flamenco Funk
5		Drive
6		Road To Carlos
7		Running
8		Gigolo
9		Obsession
10		Little Locolito