
It won't take long before you gain a full appreciation for why Federico Aubele and Natalia Clavier recently got married. The work that the pair produced on Federico's latest album Panamericana pretty much screamed "we're perfect for each other!". It had only been a couple weeks since that album was no longer dominating my personal airwaves when Natalia Clavier's "Nectar" came along, and though in many ways it was like a welcome continuation of Federico's syrupy Argentinian rhythms, there was a clear difference.
Track Listing:
El Arbol
Dormida
Azul
Ay de mi
No volverá
Confusión
Mi mentira
La mitad
Tu que puedes vuélvete (Atahualpa Yupanqui)
Simple
Néctar
Tiempo
Produced by Thievery Corporation's Eric Hilton and Natalia's squeeze, Federico, you'd have to be listening to this album on mute not to hear its similarities to Panamericana, on which Natalia was the primary vocalist. Getting past this however, you can't deny that Nectar is dripping with its own blend of dusty romanticism, and strong femininity.
Along with Federico's unmistakable acoustic guitar playing, this is music full of laid back Latin-based percussion, piano, dub and Latin inspired bass lines, cello, violins and an endless flow of sweet vocal melodies. Nectar is among a rare number of albums where talking about the good tracks would basically mean talking about the album in full. It's a combination of the softest sides of Thievery Corporation, the deeply felt rhythms and melodies of Federico Aubele, and a perfected intonation of warm, Latin romance that is impossible to stop listening to.