In the recent survey we conducted within the editorial team of ExpoFlamenco To choose the 25 best albums of the 21st century, the singer from Jaén ended up closing the list Angeles Toledano with his debut album, Dirty bloodAs is well known, these types of polls are not intended to establish an indisputable standard, but they do provide clues as to how music and fan tastes have evolved over time. In this sense, the cante Toledano appears as an exponent of that flamenco who is no longer scandalized by electronic sounds or unorthodox staging, and who at the same time has a very firm anchor in tradition; or, to put it another way, safe from the hysteria of the purists.
After an intense year of concerts throughout the country, the artist from Villanueva de la Reina has started 2026 fulfilling a dream she had since childhood, which was to set foot in the Nîmes FestivalWhat I perhaps hadn't imagined was that I would have the honor of opening this year's edition, and I would do so almost filling the enormous auditorium of the Gran Salle del Espacio. Paloma. The smoke-filled stage is bathed in blood-red light –the Dirty blood from the title of her album—and begins a show that is simple in its format, in which everything, the guitar, the percussion, the choirs and the light and sound effects, are subordinated to the star's voice.
Dressed in white, enclosed in her neon circleSome might expect a techno sound, but what you hear is a peasant song, the same one that opens their album under the title Araora. Something like Ora and laboraPray and work, but above all, don't lose sight of where you come from. And wrap your roots in whatever dress you like, but don't forget to honor them.
"I only hope that both the industry and the most discerning judges of flamenco aficionados will let her grow naturally, because this promising story has only just begun. And many of us want to read the whole story, with minimal interference. Although, as she herself says, where there is a deaf mind, it is very difficult to hear..."
Thus, Toledano left home to explore the realms of the soleá – sometimes in Frijones, sometimes in Triana… – all easily recognizable and adhering to the precepts, even though the programs offered dissonant nuances for less accustomed ears. From there he moved on to the bulerías of Night apple...to travel to the Levante region through a taranta with echoes of Camarón and Morent. In fact, there were many moments to reflect on Enrique's legacy, not so much as a flamenco singer per se, but as a pioneer. Geniuses are, among other things, those who give future generations permission to dare to do what no one dared to do before. They are the ones who teach that "yes, it can be done."
And Toledano can do many things: for example, play with the splendid voices of her two choirmates in a trio of alegrías, wave the flag of feminism with jaleos and the catchy Nothing has happened, but everything has happened, or to enter and exit gracefully in the times of the seguiriya, dazzling the audience with psychedelic lights and a rhythmic base systematic trap: every time.
Although Toledano apologized several times for coughing while speaking to the audience, due to the aftereffects of a recent flu, he maintained his pitch and the sweetness that is one of his main strengths throughout. If there were anything to criticize about his performance, it would be a (perhaps deliberate?) coldness, both visually and aurally, which keeps the viewer in a more cerebral than emotional state for too long. When the heart begins to warm, with the beautiful version of The Greeks (How beautiful that night was) or with the bulerías he arranged Yerai Cortes (Nothing has happened, but everything has happened), the curtain has to fall.
What seems indisputable is that Ángeles Toledano is not a clone of RosaliaDespite having things in common—for example, inhabiting the same historical period—neither is subversive. I only hope that both the industry, always tempted to exert excessive control, and the most severe judges of flamenco aficionados will allow it to grow naturally, because this promising story has only just begun, and many of us want to read the whole tale, with minimal interference. Although, as she herself says, Where there is a deaf mind, it is very difficult to hear....
Credits
Dirty blood, by Angeles Toledano
Festival Flamenco from Nîmes 2026
Grand Hall, Paloma
February 13th 2026
Angeles Toledano, cante and programming
Benito Bernal, flamenco guitar
Manu Masaedo, drums, percussion and programming
Belén Vega and Laura Espadas, choirs and palmas
