What We Are (2011)

As jazz in Spain is a "taifas" kingdom of the worst kind, Anna Rodríguez is a singer who hasn't been been given the opportunity to tour in mainland Spain; taking into account that her voice and her ability as a jazz singer. So although she enjoys a certain prestige in Tenerife and the rest of the Canary Islands, outside that territory she is almost completely unknown. But that's the way things are in Spanish jazz.

What We Are is made up of ten songs that present a wide range of the singers' musical interests. Although the main line  of the album includes jazz standards like "You don't know what love is", "My Funny Valentine", "God Bless the Child' or "Bye Bye Blackbird"; there is also a place for pop-rock with two versions of this genre; "Message in a Bottle" and "Time After Time". The album is completed with songs by Jobim ("Corcovado" and "Aguas de Março") and a revision of the tango "Nostalgia".

On the other hand, Eliseo Lloreda does a commendable job since he not only accompanies the singer very well, but also manages to create attractive music that can even work autonomously. In this order of things, Lloreda shows himself as a solid and very effective musician.

'What We Are' is a good album that shows that in Spain's desolate jazz territory there are artists of great value.

It's amazing to see an artist grow right in front of your eyes.  I have been following Anna Rodriguez's career from a distance for years . Rodriguez's beautiful voice and talent have always been there. What Anna has developed through these years is a maturity in her voice and phrasing, becoming a true jazz singer. A maturity that allows you to offer a song with the conviction of an experienced singer regardless of style, for example in the blues "God Bless the Child", the bolero "Nostalgia" or the jazz arrangements in "Message in a Bottle" (The Police) and  "Time after time" by Cyndi Lauper.

Anna Rodriguez's development has to do mostly with her dedication and love for music. But another important factor in Rodriguez's growth as a musician has been her musical relationship with the virtuoso guitarist Eliseo Lloreda. Together they have presented their music throughout the Canary Islands and Spain.

Their relationship has created an undeniable chemistry that can be heard on their debut album as a duo, What We Are. It's simply amazing how much rich and full the music feels and how swing there is in songs like "Devil may care", "Moody's Mood for love" and "Bye Bye Blackbird", with Lloreda's guitar Rodriguez's voice. Lloreda only needs his guitar and his impressive technique to create complex rhythms and harmonies that beautifully accompany Anna Rodriguez's voice.

I also remember when Anna started experimenting with Brazilian music, and in What We Are she included two Jobim classics, "Aguas de Março" and "Corcovado". Rodriguez sings in perfect Portuguese and with the necessary sentiment required for this type of music, so it is quite obvious that these songs have been part of his repertoire in the past few  years.

With this album Rodríguez has made her dream come true by recording a jazz album and at the same time begins to establish herself as one of the best jazz singers in Spain.