This is the third collaboration from Spanish-German singer Laura López Castro and French-German guitarist Don Philippe. Optativo is a wonderfully laid-back acoustic journey incorporating a mix of styles that hang together as a coherent whole. For Don Philippe there’s a South American influence, while classical, jazz, and flamenco forms also pervade the compositions that are mostly sung in Spanish. Sudanese singers Alsarah and Nahid impart an almost Eastern influence reminiscent of Nitin Sawhney’s world music collaborations. Although at times there’s a tendency towards the overly mournful, for the most part it’s mesmerising, dreamy, and inspired.
