Olivero Releases “Sin Permiso del Ayer” With Alain Pérez
On February 11th, Austrian guitarist Olivero – aka Oliver Mayer – released his latest single “Sin Permiso del Ayer,” which translates roughly to “without yesterday’s permission” (according to Google Translate, at least – I regrettably do not speak Spanish). Featuring vocals from Latin Grammy winner Alain Pérez, this track is a “very emotional, melancholic and romantic Latin-Love-Ballade [sic].” Olivero’s guitar is absolutely gorgeous, and the light percussion and minimalist production allow Pérez’s vocals to become the focal point, which in turn opens the world up to another outstanding vocalist from Cuba. What do I mean by that?
Well, there is a history of Cuban vocalists being featured in music created by European and North American artists in an attempt to get more global recognition for the island nation most people have negative associations with from history classes. Most notably, American guitarist Ry Cooder worked with the record label World Circuit and Cuba’s Buena Vista Social Club to create the album Buena Vista Social Club. Four years after BVSC, Damon Albarn tapped member Ibrahim Ferrer to provide vocals for the Gorillaz track “Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?).” In this same realm, Olivero has worked with Alain Pérez out of a love for Latin music, and this pairing is a match made in heaven.
Olivero is an incredible flamenco guitarist. I don’t know much about the genre, but I know what I hear on “Sin Permiso del Ayer” is astoundingly beautiful, and the way that Pérez’s vocals sit amidst the guitar and percussion is absolutely phenomenal. Though I, unfortunately, didn’t retain much from middle school Spanish classes, I can tell just how much passion and care went into the recording. It reminds me of “Veinte Años” off of Buena Vista Social Club, and that, to me, is the gold standard at the moment. Admittedly, that is from a mild ignorance of the music within the genre, but I think “Sin Permiso del Ayer” is an excellent starting point for anyone looking to get into more traditional Latin music, and its four-minute runtime somehow feels too short.
Check it out below, and be sure to let us know what you think!
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