GYPSY PISTOLERO
DUENDE (Last of The Pistoleros)
Released February 2011

Regular readers will have closely followed the action packed last couple of years of The Gypsy Pistoleros, with their near-deals, their explosive fallings out, an aborted live album and enough drama to keep any rock star's therapist’s kids in private schools for years. Almost the only thing missing, however, was new music from the self-proclaimed “greatest flamenco sleaze glam punk band ever.” Well the wait is over.

After the band fell apart in the middle of 2010, head honcho Lee Pistolero has taken the brave move to go solo and is ready with the first album under his new alias, GYPSY PISTOLERO – “DUENDE (Last Of The Pistoleros)”. Yep, it is typical Pistolero – unashamedly cheeky as hell, but he gets away with it when the result is this good!

It's so good, actually, that it’s fair to say “Duende…” is an amazing achievement for Pistolero - the re-recorded tunes from his old band show a new depth to the songs (especially ‘Sangre de las Rosas’). The production is lavish throughout and the bones of 'Rock' are fleshed out with some meaty 'Roll' delivered straight from Pistolero’s soul.

In this solo debut, Pistolero seems to have reconnected with the gypsy heart that inspired him to start his unorthodox sleazy hard rock in the first place. The Latino musical and lyrical influences are evident and as a result the album is more polished than anything he’s released in the past – just check out ‘They Call Me Django’, ‘Rubi’s Got A Gun’ and the amazing ‘Los Suenos Del los Muertos’ [‘The Dreams Of The Dead’] with it’s tender and emotive acoustic guitar for proof!

Credit where it’s due, however. Pistolero’s ex-White Trash UK guitar slinging bandmate Mark Westwood makes a weighty contribution, co-writing most of the songs, producing from his Nomad 51 Studios and caressing his six stringer spectacularly.

‘Stand & Deliver’ is an untamed cover of the infamous Adam & The Ants 80’s hit single and is as catchy as I and anyone who loved it first time around, will remember it. However, Pistolero turns it on it's head and makes it his own! ‘Johnny Peligrosa’ [‘Johnny Dangerous’] is a sleazy portion of old-school Pistoleros and ‘Woman’ can only have been written in the darkest corner of a bar whilst consuming a bottle of tequila and shedding a thousand tears during the process.

“Duende (Last of The Pistoleros)” is a radical and remarkably original album which should launch Mr P and his music to a completely new level.

Trulie Jackson

Available from www.100percentrock.com