Continental 62

Continental 62 is the flight that connects Newark, NJ, and Madrid, Spain, a route Christina Rosenvinge has become quite familiar with in recent years. Her new album has made the trip several times as well, with basic tracks recorded in Madrid, and overdubs done at studios in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

On her third Smells Like Records album-- her second along with 2004's Foreign Land to be released both here and in her native Spain -- she's joined by longtime accomplices Tim Foljahn and Lee Ranaldo on guitar and vocals, rhythm section Jeremy Wilms and Steve Shelley, guests Charlie Bautista on guitar and violin, and well-known Spanish experimentalist turned pop-crafter Suso Saiz, who also co-produces. Of the ten tracks, seven are sung in English, and lyrically Rosenvinge has hit a vital sweet-spot, achieving maximum depth with the simplest language. Her songcraft in general has reached an impressive maturity, with seductive, coiled verses resolving in perfect choruses.