11:11

Ah, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, how you bring a smile to my face and a movement to my hips. It’s hard to engage an audience for 45 minutes when you do not have drums, bass, or vocals, yet you manage to do it.

One hears inspired guitar playing, with finger drumming on the face of the guitar. On "Buster Voodoo," the Mexican acoustic duo incorporates a wah-wah pedal to interesting effect -- very inventive for an acoustic guitar. For "Logos," they slow it down a bit with an infectious riff complemented by a second guitar. It’s a relaxing break from the fast pace of the collection on 11:11 but leads seamlessly back into the up-tempo "Santo Domingo," which incorporates electric guitar with tremolo.

Highlights on this impressive album include the cut "Hora Zero" -- I can imagine the music video for this song -- and the inventive use of sand-paper on title track "11:11" to kick off the beat.

This CD is perfect for music at a party, a road trip, or to liven a bad day. Look down at your watch, if it's 11:11, it’s Rodrigo time!

• Album title: 11:11 (2009)
• Artist: Rodrigo Y Gabriela
• Label: Rubyworks
• Songs: (1) Hanuman (2) Buster Voodoo (3) Triveni (4) Logos (5) Santo Domingo (6) Master Maqui (7) Savitri (8) Hora Zero (9) Chac Mool (10) Atman (11) 11:11