'Ruido' presented in Jerez. José Mercé is New Record

Text and photos: Estela Zatania

“Ruido” presented in Jerez

The spacious garden of the Atalaya, not far from the Merced church on the street of the same name that gave José Soto Soto his nickname, was quickly filling up.  The air was charged with expectation and you could see a very diverse audience – young people, older people, middle class and not so middle, locals and outsiders, including a French couple from Nimes, that little piece of Santiago in France, who had come down specifically for the occasion.  At ten o’clock, firecrackers reminded us it was the day of Merced, patron saint of Jerez, and a seductive purple light bathed the empty stage that waited impatiently.

The lights went up, the singer appeared and an emotional explosion of affection seemed to trigger a sudden gust of wind that arrived just in time to add drama.  Looking quite fit, as handsome as always (for those ladies of a certain generation) and flashing the famous wall-to-wall smile, José Mercé had returned to his hometown of Jerez and to his neighborhood with a new recording under his arm.  This man is living proof that a flamenco artist can cultivate a viable multi-faceted career.  He is adored by the general public for his popular adaptations and creations, but hardcore dyed-in-the-wool flamenco fans continue to need the kind of classic cante he delivers with knowledge and personality, and with one of today’s most flamenco voices.

“Ruido” is the name of Merce’s new record whose presentation was coordinated to fall on the day of Merced, and coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Diario de Jerez newspaper who sponsored the event with the collaboration of the municipal government and the Cajasol bank.  José greeted the numerous audience and commented on how pleased he was to sing in his hometown after four years of artistic absence.  With the essential guitar of Moraíto, the singer started out with malagueñas with a fine thread of voice, the calm before the storm.  Then, after announcing he was going to sing soleá, he practically apologized for beginning with traditional cante, but the audience was all his, and their absolute complicity was clear.  Merce’s richly worn but strong voice did the job of siguiriyas before he handed the stage over to Moraíto for a bulerías guitar solo.

The singer returned with guitarist Dani de Morón for the second part in which he interpreted some themes from the new record slated to be on the street in October.  “Contigo” and “Fe” are smooth sensual ballads, the latter with a slick chorus of male voices, Rafa, El Negro and Marce.  The fashion of palmeros who double as singers also shows up in quasi-traditional quasi-contemporary alegrías that come off quite well.  An instrumental piece by Dani de Morón with vocal back-up, and Mercé offers the bulería which is the title song of the record.

From what we saw and heard of “Ruido” in the presentation, it has more substance than earlier recordings made after this singer came out of the flamenco closet to offer his versatile talent to the world.  The recital ended with Eduardo Aute’s “Al Alba”, José’s signature song, and some down-home bulerías in which the audience called upon Moraíto to dance, making a fine ending to this enthralling show.