Billboard "Border" Review

LILA DOWNS 

Album Title: Border 
Producer(s): Paul Cohen and Lila Downs 
Genre: WORLD MUSIC 
Label/Catalog Number: Narada World 70876-15333 
Source: PRINT 
Originally Reviewed: July 14, 2001 

Lila Downs' dramatic debut album, Tree of Life, released last year by Narada, drew heavily on her exotic Mixtec Indian background, delivering a profoundly moving performance that immediately thrust her into the world music spotlight. With Border, she has wasted no time taking her repertoire to another level. She does two songs in English—"Pastures of Plenty"/"This Land Is Your Land" and "Smoke." The latter is very much in the populist folk tradition, as is "Pastures." "This Land," though, comes from a jazzy rock idea and actually flashes hip-hop at a couple points. Downs pulls off a very torchy bit of Latin pop with "Perhaps Perhaps" that would make for a nice rhumba on the dancefloor, and she shows an adroit command of the cumbia style on several tracks, including "Cumbia Maya"/"Hannal Wech." Downs opens up a wider range of Latin influences on Border, and it works for her, because her interpretive skill is sublime, and her voice is a world-class instrument.—PVV


FUENTE

Comentarios

Publicar un comentario

Entradas populares de este blog

La historia detrás de "Cariñito".

Imagen
Una noche de 1979 Rodolfo Aicardi llegó feliz a los estudios de grabación de Discos Fuentes y le dijo a Pedro Muriel: “Tengo el éxito para este año. Lo escuché en Ecuador y vamos a grabarlo”. En un casete estaba la interpretación de una orquesta peruana, “Los hijos del sol”. Escucharon las dos estrofas que tiene la canción: “Lloro por quererte / Por amarte y por desearte/ Lloro por quererte/ Por amarte y por desearte /Ay cariño ay mi vida. Nunca pero nunca/ Me abandones cariñito/ Nunca pero nunca/ Me abandones cariñito”. Eso era todo. Nada más decía la letra, pero tenía sentimiento. De inmediato Pedro Muriel –el grabador de más de 300 grandes éxitos de Discos Fuentes—llamó al equipo de Los Hispanos. El maestro Luis Carlos Montoya, experimentado arreglista para los temas tropicales se encargó de los arreglos. Ya había dado resultado con “Boquita de Caramelo” que había servido de resurgimiento para Rodolfo y ahora tendrían otro gran éxito. Lo presagiaban. Luis Carlos Monto...
Leer más

Lila Downs Sings About Detained Children in New Manu Chao Cover

Imagen
When I think of social justice singer/songwriters, especially an artist that advocates for Latinos and indigenous people, there’s one that always comes to mind: Lila Downs. The Mexican songstress, by way of Oaxaca, has been bringing audiences prideful Mexican culture and music since the early ’90s. Her music resonates because of her powerful lyrics and voice, and she’s using that to bring awareness to the injustices happening at the border. Her new single titled “Clandestino” revamps the Manu Chao original to bring a beautiful rendition in which she takes on immigration by targeting the U.S. government and their appalling treatment of undocumented children. According to a press release statement, Downs “airs political grievances with U.S.-Mexico immigration policies and the detention centers holding migrant children.” In the song, she poses the question “If we don’t fight for the children, what will become of us?” The song will be featured on her new album Al Chile set to be re...
Leer más