Area 52 Rubyworks

The distilled intensity of Rodrigo y Gabriela's duelling guitars has fuelled a dramatic success story, which has seen them headlining from LA to Tokyo and guesting on Hollywood film soundtracks. Area 52, their fifth studio album, marks their first collaboration – with a 13-piece Cuban orchestra. There's a panoply of sounds jostling for position here as the duo reinterpret nine of their own compositions, including Ixtapaand Tamacun.The guests (including Anoushka Shankar on sitar, jazz bassist Carles Benavent and Palestinian group Le Trio Joubran) grasp the heart of a collection that swings from Rodrigo y Gabriela's trademark driving rhythms crisscrossed with visceral chant ( 11:11) to a more languid, Keith Jarrett- tinged interpretation of Logos.At times the arrangements are overworked, but the suspicion is that this collision will soar in a Rodrigo y Gabriela live setting, where they've always relished a hairpin bend or three. rodgab.com

Download tracks: Logos, Tamacun