Not only can they play a lot of different music, but they appreciate a lot of different music, and that has been our motto from the start.” I knew it would run the gamut, because The Mavericks are really versatile, and I’m very fortunate to have a band like that. I wanted to have really good songs that mattered to me and that the band could play them well. “I wanted ‘En Español’ to be a record that wasn’t necessarily genre-specific in Latin music. I didn’t see it as music from another world, or another country, I just viewed it as music. “It was one of those eye-opening moments that helped show me all the beautiful music that is here and how it all connects. “My grandfather also played Vicente Fernández’s version of ‘El Rey’ for me,” he recalled. Throughout the album, The Mavericks’ versions of songs previously recorded by various Latin music stars sound both reverent and imbued with the band’s distinctive artistic DNA.įor Malo, revisiting the music from his youth is a welcome opportunity to extend his creative journey by drawing from his roots and those of his family. His singing here at times suggests what Roy Orbison or Elvis Presley might have sounded like, had they grown up singing in weathered cantinas south of the border. Not coincidentally, one of the songs popularized by Iglesias - the 1978 lament “Me Olvidé de Vivir” (“I Forgot to Live”) - is featured on “En Español.” The Mavericks’ version boasts a notably more sprightly tempo and benefits from Malo’s wonderfully full-bodied vocals.
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His grandfather also helped him learn his first chords, sang along with the budding young musician and introduced him to flamenco, the early recordings of Julio Iglesias, and more. It was his grandfather who gave Malo his first guitar while he was still in grade school. The album’s roots date back to his childhood - and to the music his Spanish-born grandfather happily shared with him. They include Tex-Mex accordion great Flaco Jimenez, Santana/ Los Lobos keyboard veteran Alberto Salas, a three-piece brass section and an 11-piece string section.įor Miami native Malo, who as the teen-aged singer-guitarist in The Tom Boys covered songs by David Bowie and The Cure, “En Español” is a long-gestating labor of love. In addition to The Mavericks - Malo, guitarist Eddie Perez, drummer/vibraphonist Paul Deakin and pianist/organist Jerry Dale McFadden - the album features a number of notable guests. Its melancholic mood is underscored by the titles of such songs as the Malo-penned “Recuerdos” (“Memories”), the 1965 Javier Solis gem “Sombras Nada Más” (“Shadows and Nothing More”) and the 1997 Juan Gabriel/Rocío Dúrcal favorite “No Vale la Pena” (“It’s Not Really Worth It”). The album abounds with poignant odes to love lost, yearned for, and won. Sadly, that’s not entirely surprising at a time when walls, both literal and figurative, are a frequent source of division and controversy. Yet, because of our nation’s increasing polarization - and because The Mavericks’ lead singer, Raul Malo, is the American-born son of Cuban immigrant parents - the heartfelt “En Español” is already raising questions about possible underlying messages. It’s also their first to focus entirely on such Latin music styles as mambo, son jarocho, cumbia, Tejano, bolero and cha-cha, with an enticing mix of original songs and classics popularized by such legends as Mexico’s Juan Gabriel, New York’s Los Panchos, and Cuba’s Celia Cruz and Omara Portuondo. Released Friday by Mono Mundo Recordings, it’s the Grammy Award-winning country, rock and Americana-music band’s first release to feature lyrics performed entirely in Spanish. There isn’t a hint of politics or social commentary on The Mavericks’ enchanting new album of intensely romantic songs, “En Español.”