Pa’ki pa’ka

by Robert “Robi” Svärd

Dejame sentir la dulce maravilla que tienen tus labios
Dejame decirte morena mia cuanto te amo
Que quiero entregarte lo mas profundo de un sentimiento
Y que tu cuerpo vibre, que vibre con un “te quiero”

Every time I think I heard it all, Songlines proves me wrong. What could one possibly add to what Paco de Lucía has done to flamenco guitar? “Robi” Svärd shows that yes, one can add something else. And that “something else” is not being his “Nordic touch” or (enter here any other cliché pointing to Robi’s origin). At no point his could-have-been-frightening virtuosity stands in the way of his singable, danceable and, well, simply jolly good music. Not exactly what I call “easy listening” but for me the only difficulty was to choose the favourite song! Anyway, here are my top three (for now): Dulce maravilla, with simple but efficient harmonics-driven intro/bridge; bulerías El aire de mi corazón; and a very tasty title track. Enjoy!

Pa’ki pa’ka

1. Pa’ki pa’ka (rumba)
2. El aire de mi corazón (bulerías)
3. Dulce maravilla (alegrías)
4. La chispa (bulerías)
5. Caminando (tangos)
6. Barokería
7. Lágrimas secas (soleá por bulerías)
8. Habana a Suécia (guajiras)
9. Paseo de los tristes (granaina)

Robert “Robi” Svärd — guitars
Miguel “El Cheyenne” — percussion (1—8)
Nani Conde — bass (1, 2, 5)
Alfredo Tejada — vocals (2, 3, 5, 7)
Ahmad Al Khatib — oud/cello (2, 3)
Ann Sehlstedt “La Pantera” — dance (8)

All tracks composed by Robert Svärd except track 7 (public domain, arranged by Robert Svärd)
All lyrics by Alfredo Tejada
Produced by Robert Svärd
Recorded, mixed and mastered at FJR Estudios de grabación, Granada, May — July 2015 by Robert Svärd and Fernando Romero
Cover by Andreas Borg