Album Details

• Artist: Rupa And The April Fishes
• Album: Extraordinary Rendition
• Label: Cumbancha
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2008-06-13

Cool and sexy with a lyrical bite much sadder than the salsa intimates, Rupa and The April Fishes have the duende all day long. "Extraordinary Rendition" is vibrant, and you can shake it to it, but there is a message here, short tales of bravery and of wanting to be brave.

Vocalist Rupa Marya sings in French, Spanish and English, and draws from the pop styles of tango, kelzmer, cansion and more modern noir-ish styles like Tindersticks and Devotchka. Smoky is the word, but with swinging, sharp rhythms. Most of the tracks are driven by percussion, piano and accordion. Here lyrics also deal with love and death, but the politics in songs like "Wishful Thinking," San Francisco" and "Not Easy" are even more emotional and daring. The hard truths of relationships delivered with style and passion on "Mal De Mer" and "C'Est Pas D'L'Amour" are matched by her take on the political lives of lovers. This exploration is especially vital and fearless today, given the fact that personal has no choice but to wrestle with the political; love makes the world go round, still, but so does oil, war and constitutions.

Backed by the soulful April Fishes, Rupa brings smart danceable music to the floor with a poetic and direct message. Extraordinary Rendition evokes real life in all its messy but often glorious moments. This is a hot release, and one you can learn a thing or two from as well.

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