On the cover of the ‘Manual de romería’ he, Rodrigo Cuevas, appears in his naked, beautiful image, centering on an oil-painted scene (by Javier Ruiz Pérez) with Goya-style memories. A definitely “erotic-festive” composition is recommended. “That’s the exact definition!” Is this Asturian singer, composer, showman, great provocateur laughing? “Well, it’s a naive little playful provocation… It’s a nude that looks like a classical painting,” he reasons with a wry smile.
Conversations with Cuevas often leave a trail of humorous digressions that detract from more serious matters and drama. This time, the tone of their new album suits this, ‘Hajj manual’, He has a repertoire of idiosyncratic and traditional pieces like this one, which tones down the compliment of “Manual de cortejo” (2019) (but is “introverted and dark”). “More cheerful, daytime and celebratory.” If he worked with Raül Refree on that album, he shares the production with Raül Refree again here. Puerto Rican Eduardo Cabra of Visitante, a member of Calle 13. “I wanted to take traditional Asturian music to a more electronic and danceable point.”
A village with 15 inhabitants
“There are two reasons to sing in the world / you can sing to love or you can sing to freedom / I’m lucky that love always accompanies me / so I sing to the rivers and mountains,” she sings elegantly, accompanied by guitar arpeggios and electronics in the song “Allá arribita” strike. Born in the city of Oviedo, but mountains and forests with “clean air” are “a symbol of freedom” for him. When he had the opportunity, he moved to “villages” like the 15-person village of Conceyu de Piloña, where he currently lives.
In ‘Manual de romería’ you can breathe a transparent song about nature and friendship, as well as painful observation: against the harassment of those who are different due to race, gender or religion (in ‘Tell me, green bouquet’) or condemnation of the destruction of the environment (in ‘Valse’ ). Rodrigo Cuevas thinks: “There are now a lot of eucalyptus plantations in Asturias to make cellulose pulp, which greatly degrades and desertifies the soil.” “The popular song cannot be flat; it always seeks to add some punctuation and express a point of acidity or withdrawal.”
A Caribbean in Sanabria
He is accompanied by venerable voices hunting in the valleys; Like Rodríguez Cañón, Nieves can be heard blurting out a line that makes one think: “I, because I sing badly…”, he says apologetically. “All the ladies think like that, they sing badly. Because until now, those who sang and played that instrument were not taken into consideration at all. The woman with the tambourine looked like someone making a joke. “That’s what they have in mind.” observe Entering this land must have been a ‘shock’ for the Caribbean Visitor. “It happened! We went to record in Sanabria, Zamora in December and it was cold…”
Cuevas is one of the best 4,200 signatories signed the manifesto for Asturian authoritiestogether with many artists from the country and other origins rozalen And Rigoberta Bandini. “They have been demanding this since the beginning of democracy, and every year they take to the streets to fight for it,” he notes. Victor Manuel, The person Cuevas counts among his first influences told this newspaper months ago that he did not see “real social demand” from the authorities. “How shameful that you think that. I can tell you that it’s not a matter of demands, it’s a matter of rights.”
Rodrigo Cuevas has become a popular figure, a generator of fiery passions. “I have a lot of haters, but I also feel very understood and loved. Yes, it makes me a little angry that the newspapers don’t police these comments.” point. She feels like a “star,” especially in Catalonia, she jokes. “It’s one of the most visited places. Maybe because I ‘talk català’ at concerts.” He will return a few months later, that is, in 2024, and remind us that in addition to singing and creating music, he loves to perform on stage and seduce the public. “I’m such a cabaret artist, I can’t help it.”