“It was a great change,” says Kings’ vocalist Nicolas Reyes. “We played just like we do in gypsy camps, improvising around a fire in a circle with the guitar player, palmas (hand claps), and singers.”

Of course, the eight-man ensemble did have some up-to-date help. Producer Craig Street brought in bassist Greg Cohen, and guest artists like Garth Hudson on accordion. But Roots’ sound is rumba flamenco, a venerable form of music that evolved from African rhythms and traveled via the New World back to Spain.

The Gipsy Kings - composed of Canut, Nicolas, Andre, Pablo, and Patchai Reyes and Diego, Paco, and Tonino Baliardo, learned this music from their native Catalan Spanish heritage (their grandparents left Spain for France during the Franco years). The group formed in the late ‘70s and began playing under the name Los Reyes (The Kings), singing in French, Spanish, and the dialect known as gitane. It would be the fusion of this traditional music with modern electronics that led to their worldwide success, 15 albums, and two PBS specials.

But the Kings were reportedly tired of recording in modern Parisian studios and wanted to try a more “natural” sound. Enter Street, who helped them find and remodel the farmhouse and took them through the process of uncovering their natural sound.

Flamenco encompasses many singing and playing styles, with terms ranging from afillá (a hoarse, earthy singing voice) to zapateados (a style requiring fancy footwork). Roots takes us on a tour of flamenco’s universe, with such classic forms as the fandango and the bolerias. A fandango is a rather sad kind of song about hardships and Roots gives us two versions, one by Patchai and one by Nicolas, both demonstrating extraordinary solo guitar technique.

Tonino Baliardo demonstrates his guitar skill on the “Bolerias,” the fastest of all flamenco forms. Percussion on this track includes the aforementioned hand-claps and the cajon, a instrument similar to an empty wooden box.

The Kings also throw in eclectic touches such as a jazz-inflected instrumental, “Nuages,” by the legendary Django Reinhardt, and their version of a “Boogie,” done flamenco style but with a washboard and some “doo-wops” thrown in. And then there are the improvised moments. The album’s final track “Petite Noya” came about, according to Street, when “Diego Baliardo, who had never really written a song, came in with this melody and a few words. The rest of the guys liked it and took it from there.” The result: a lively number with a sing-along chorus that suggests some heavy partying.

The virtuosity of the Gipsy Kings’ musicianship may make some rockers want to turn in their fuzz boxes. But who knows? Roots may just inspire them to new heights.