There are trees that wither or die if you move them from the soil in which they have sprouted, and others that do wonderfully with a change of scenery. I have always thought that Deafness, a flamenco dynasty with a long history in Jerez, was a great fit for them to move to Madrid. And let's not even mention how it suited Madrid. Lela Soto, the last link in that chain, is from Madrid without renouncing her family heritage, that of Paco la Luz, the Serrana, the Niño Gloria or Deafness. You don't need to prove your belonging to that lineage, because it's embedded in your skin and your throat.
After a good season as a solo singer, The fire that I carry inside is the title of the album that serves as his calling card to the general public, the same one that he wanted to present this week on the newly opened terrace of the Unicaja Foundation of Cádiz, just at the time when the sun was setting behind the observation towers. And with the east wind blowing freely, although not enough to disturb a delicious recital of cante flamenco.
The Malaga woman from The Twin, one of his cantestrong, served Lela Soto as a portico before moving to Inaccessible, that wink by soleá to his Uncle Sorderita that brings echoes of the new flamenco of the 90s, of which José Soto was one of the great driving forces and exponents. The truth is that Lela, while staying away from heterodoxy, occasionally has a certain pop influence that also links her to artists she has worked with, such as Niña Pastori, Pitingo o Silver Knife. But it is, as has been said, only a breath, because her hobby leads her again and again along the path of cante canonical.
"There's little to criticize this artist for her wide vocal range, impeccable intonation, and abundant rhythm. In other words, she has everything she needs to sound genuinely flamenco, yet contemporary, because she can't and won't stop being a woman of her time."
He does so, of course, in some tasty temptations that prelude the first single from his debut album, From praying so much to the saint. Tangos that gain in power the more stripped down the interpretation, in this case solely with the sober and elegant guitar of Rubén Martínez, which was to be joined by the palmas de Reyes Moreno y Juana Gomez, sure of their rhythm and possessing a beautiful image that stood out against the sunset. Lela, however, was struggling with the wind, although nothing in her voice suggested that her work tool was suffering.
After the bulería por soleá, with those lyrics that made us remember Luis the Zambo You are like the Jews/ and even if they burn you/ placed in the body/ do not deny what has happened–, Lela threw herself into the bamberas, which are never missing from her repertoire, and finished the performance with bulerías to bring the audience to their feet after a long hour of performance.
Little can be reproached in this artist with a wide vocal range, impeccable intonation, and abundant rhythm, in other words, someone who has everything to sound genuinely flamenco, yet contemporary, because she cannot and will not cease to be a woman of her time. In fact, all one would want, even for a moment, is to see her lose that control over her faculties, let emotion drive her beyond the bounds of perfection, let her temperament run riot. But that will come, of course. For now, Vicente Soto's daughter is firmly on her own territory, fertilizing that common ground where a new generation of flamenco singers is illuminating the future.
Credits
Lela Soto's recital
Terrace of the Unicaja Foundation of Cádiz
July 25, 2025
Lela Soto, cante
Rubén Martínez, guitar
Reyes Moreno and Juana Gómez, palmas
