Robi Draco Rosa – Mad Love

robi_draco_rosa.jpg So he sounds a little like Sting and he was in Menudo with Ricky Martin. Nobody’s perfect. Besides penning ‘La Vida Loca’ and the simply awful ‘She bangs’ Robi Draco Rosa can write perfect, sultry tragic and obsessive love songs. He proves it on his solo album Mad Love which, apart from U2’s latest, must be my most played album of 2004. Which for any singer sounding as much like Sting as he does is an amazing feat, let me tell you.


Mr Draco Rosa apparently prepared himself for the recording of this album by driving up and down the west coast of America, listening to Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. This makes all kind of sense since ‘Lie without a lover’ could have easily been a track on The Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack, equally inspired by Miles’ work. Mad Love moves easily between pop, jazz, latin, classical and rock. Middle of the road, perhaps, but speeding, not cruising.

If ‘Puerto Rican’ and ‘former boy band’ makes you go ‘naaaah’, and Van Dyke Parks inspires a ‘huh?’ launch your P2P application of choice and check out ‘My eyes adore you’ and the previously mentioned ‘Lie without a lover’, and see if these stand out tracks can’t convince you. If they do, you’re ready for Mad Love.

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