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I should declare an interest first of all — this music is so far up my street, it may as well have parked in front of my house. It draws on the rich tradition of Argentinean folk and nueva canción and it’s gentle and lyrical, with themes deeply rooted in the landscape and popular traditions of South America.

Fittingly, the generous line-up includes bandoneón, pan pipes and chico drum, nodding towards the mountain, the pampas and the city traditions of tango and Piazzolla. It also features Robles herself on guitars, piano, percussion and electric bass. The piano playing in particular is one of the high points of the album.

The album title translates as “Water Sprites”, and Robles’ elfin voice is well-suited to the sweetness of her material, possibly to best effect in the beautiful title track itself, or in the haunting lullaby which closes the disc. If the disc lacks a knockout punch (and it’s not helped by a somewhat flat balance), every now and then there are hints of something more fibrous and elemental, as in the Mercedes Sosa-esque malambo ‘Viernes de Salamanca’. Another highlight is ‘Mamita sin Delantal’, a tender second-person account of dreams withering under the tyranny of domestic routine.

Robles has recorded four previous discs as vocalist, two of them recordings of compositions by Nick Homes, producer of Los Duendes del Agua. If her talents as composer, arranger and musician have anything to do with it, we should be hearing more soon.

The album isn’t widely distributed, but can currently be obtained at www.mercadoargentino.com/acatalog/Libros___Books.html. For more on Ana Robles information see www.anarobles.net/.

Track Listing:

1. Duendale
2. Las Piedras
3. La Seca
4. Viernes de Salamanca
5. Penas Luz
6. Cuando Nadie
7. Los Duendes del Agua
8. Mamita sin Delantal
9. Camino a Santa Cruz