Audio Cassette Tape - Oscar Lopez "HEAT" - Cassette tested, plays ok. 1997

Note: Audio Cassette Tape format Oscar Lopez's 1997 release challenges the Strunz & Farahs and Ottmar Lieberts of the world head on. Full of flamenco-inspired nylon-string guitar themes fleshed out with fiery improvisations, Heat largely eschews traditional flamenco compas for more straight-ahead, relaxed rhythms, backed by acoustic bass and percussion. But the Santiago, Chile-born Lopez is considerably more comfortable with flamenco puro than is Liebert, as his dynamic and fairly virtuosic "Fuego y Furia" attests. Like those of Strunz & Farah, his compositions are more pan-Latin than strictly flamenco, giving the buoyant "Fiesta Latina" and "Distancia" a hearty, authentic feel, which is coupled with a clear, sober production that brings Lopez's percussive guitar tone to the fore. --- LOCHOMETBD