Area 52 by Rodrigo Y Gabriela and C.U.B.A

Flying fingers and furious guitar solos characterize Rodrigo Y Gabriela, the mexican guitar duo.  On Area 52, they team with several other musicians (and featuring drums, piano, organ, and sitar, amongst other instruments) and I'll admit, after several listens, the jury's still out for me.  The fundamental question in my mind prior to listening:  will the talents of R Y G be lost amidst the rest of the musicians?  Area 52 remakes several of the duo's songs to varying results.  Area 52 is never a snooze, but in places it does wander a bit and I kept waiting for Rodrigo Y Gabriela to make a more pronounced mark.  Like many works in which an artist or group remakes their music, I felt more compelled to play the original songs instead.