Rodrigo Y Gabriela

"Hyperactive" doesn't even begin to describe the energy Rodrigo and Gabriela bring to their performances. This fleet-fingered acoustic guitar duo found the sunny side of flamenco (which is quite a task) and folded it into their rock 'n' roll past, crafting a sound that's as much punk rock as nuevo flamenco. Dizzying renditions of originals like "Tamacun" will leave you breathless, while their take on "Stairway to Heaven" miraculously finds new life in that battered song. Great stuff, though you might find yourself wishing they'd slow down once in a while.

This Dublin-based, Mexico-born guitar duo don't want to be called flamenco, so flamenco
lite will have to do. Leeching all agony and macho from their virtuoso metal roots, their
world-music variant has the approximate new-and-different factor of a well-appointed
hotel room. Dave Matthews signed them only because George Winston is out of the label
business.