add 0828 romano drom

For their second outing, Hungary's Romano Drom build on their debut. No real surprises here, but plenty of power. They're still vocal-heavy, which isn't a bad thing at all with voices like these. Antal "Anti" Kovacs Jr. proves again that he's a natural frontman, with some epic tones in his voice, and remarkably agile guitar work -- the style of which owes more to flamenco (a style with some roots in gypsy music anyway) than anything from the Balkans. Certainly unusual for a Hungarian album, and none the worse for that, there's a complete absence of brass and violin, giving an intimacy to the music that's often enchanting. But its heart and soul is in the singing, from all four members (Mónika Lakatos guests to excellent effect on "The Wedding Proposal"). If you need an analogy, try the Gipsy Kings, but with much more rooted soul, and far stronger vocal work. "We Sing" is exactly that, with sublime harmonies, while "Don't Cry Woman!" sounds more like a field recording than a composition, with a train in the background. "O Milaj" shows off instrumental abilities, and gives Lakatos another -- wordless -- outing. Real progress on this disc, and a band well-worth hearing.

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