Américas (album)

The album was produced by Jorge Strunz and Ardeshir Farah.[11] Most of its songs were written by Strunz; he was influenced by Mario Escudero and Sabicas and the Latin music of his youth.[12][13] The duo played Pedro Maldonado flamenco guitars.[6]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
Boston Herald	B+[5]
The Indianapolis Star	[15]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide	[8]

The Indianapolis Star wrote that "the music is seamless ... Strunz and Farah's sounds turn magical when they're speedily playing the same notes (as in short snippets in 'Balada')."[15] The Los Angeles Times determined that "the two guitarists have finally found the right balance between compositional interest, bubbling Latin-based rhythms and distinctive, ear-pleasing solos."[16]

Guitar Player lamented that the album "suffers from a sanitized production, a sonic politeness at odds with Spanish guitar's visceral impact."[17] The Boston Globe noted that "flamenco ... works as the unifying thread."[12] The Houston Chronicle stated that the duo "again draw from the distantly-related traditions of Spanish flamenco, Afro-Cuban salsa (and similar Latin folk forms) and middle Eastern music."[18]

AllMusic wrote that the album "melds the flair, dexterity and cultural roots of their combined Latin American and Middle Eastern heritages with the surrounding septet of tremendous musicians."[14]