Armik: Serenata

Armik is an Armenian-Iranian contemporary flamenco guitarist. I’ll go out on a limb and say he’s the best one in this crowded genre. On Serenata he blazes through a number of fast-paced tunes accompanied by horns and a bass. The percussion section provides light-weight rhythm with all the force of the proverbial “sound of one hand clapping.” For flamenco connoisseurs, this is undoubtedly amazing fare. Armik really flies around on that guitar. For the rest of us, it’s enjoyable, but likely background music. It’s nothing that makes me want to fight a bull or abscond with a girl named Carmen.

Rating: * * *