This Argentine singer and songwriter has a divine voice; soulful, earthy... no, downright sexy would best describe it. But rather than wrap it in a boring singer-songwriter band of pseudo-folk, she has expanded her vision by creating a band that any one in their right mind would have killed for. Bill Frisell's sinuous, slidey guitar echoes her sensuality perfectly. Percussionist Alex Acuna is languid, laid back and smooth. Eyvind Kang appears on the violin, adding some interesting edge on some of the tracks while making others so liquid they almost flow off the disc. Rob Burger's accordion gives it both a regional flavor at one turn, and a touch of the avant garde at others. Bill Douglass delivers understated but never under-played bass lines.

This is not a bowl-you-over kind of recording. Producer Lee Townsend has achieved that perfect mix. It's slow, subtle and sweet. The songs are a blend of seeming simplicity masking a deeper, more complex whole that creeps up in strange and beautiful ways; Gabriela's voice is urgent, slightly smokey, drifting on music that is never insistent and impossible to ignore. - CF