Spanish artist and illustrator Ricardo Cavolo's beautifully illustrated music diary, 101 Artists to Listen to Before You Die, offers a celebration of musicians and bands who have been most important in his life. "It's me trying to start to put down some coordinates for our musical universe," he writes.
Cavolo merges his love of music and art by giving each artist/band (listed in rough chronological order) a two-page spread. The left page offers his handwritten assessment and memories of the artists and the right page features his tribal, bright and boldly colored Frida Kahlo-esque illustration of the person or group.
Johnny Cash "is officially my favorite of all time," Cavolo writes of the only artist to merit two entries. "Everything is bigger and better with that voice. It makes a man feel secure, the baby stays sleeping soundly, and the mountains crack open with those low tones." He writes that Amy Winehouse "came on the scene for a few years to make us believe that the divas of soul and R&B had come back to life and rematerialized in the form of a girl from London."
A passionate music lover, Cavolo's charming personal anecdotes and lush praise are enticing invitations to explore and sample a range of music. His appreciation crosses musical genres to include Mozart, Leadbelly, the Crystals, Hank Williams, Velvet Underground, Cypress Hill, Mos Def, M.I.A., Daft Punk, the Sex Pistols, Public Enemy and the Beach Boys. And Cavolo's vibrant portraits--a mixture of folk- and tattoo-inspired art--are equally mesmerizing. --Kevin Howell, independent reviewer and marketing consultant