Customer Reviews

Mestiza

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This woman has one of those voices that can literally give you chills. I stumbled over this CD almost by accident, and was sold by the sound-sample of 'Camino a Santiago' As an admitted refugee of the late 60's - I identify a strong resemblance to both Laura Nyro and Linda Ronstadt in Perla's vocal treatments - (which is NO crime ;-}) And her songs (co-written with guitarist/partner David Batteau) jump several boundaries, and give this offering a unique flavor - These are thoughtfully composed songs, written with apparent genuine passion, experience and wisdom. Switching between English and Spanish lyrics is usually very effective both aurally and emotionally. my favorites: Camino a Santiago, Ramona, Cinema of Tears, Iberia

Buy this album. You won't regret it.

thanks for reading.

I have been a fan of Perla Batalla's since she came to Seattle to play at the Tractor Tavern in 1999. Her performance was simply mesmerizing. As she sang her songs I was able to completely tune out everything and everyone but her and her music. I was so moved by the genuine emotion in her voice. Perla creates an intimacy and sense of familiarity when she performs that makes it so easy to let down your guard and just let the truth of her music rush into your heart. I listen to Mestiza when I want to remember that special concert. Thank you Perla!

I went to see Perla in concert as a guest of the assistant director of the Center for the Performing Arts in Escondido, California. Not knowing what to expect, I went away on a mission to find her music -- entranced not only by the amazing voice, but the gentle spirit Perla posesses.

Months of scouring record stores revealed nothing...till I browsed Amazon and found Mestiza. This is music that can catch you and hold you. Months later (and innumerable plays later) , Mestiza continues to summon beautiful emotion and imagery. This is a keeper.

Just last week, I saw Perla in concert again and was taken by the light in her eyes when she smiles onstage. I had the opportunity to meet her and am touched at meeting such a gentle and beautiful spirit. Now I see how fully she reveals herself in this album.

I'm currently particularly touched by "Holy Roses." The song speaks to Perla's believing she had all the best life could offer, touring and travelling the world with such talented people, only to discover that nothing could begin to compare to becoming a mother to a lovely little girl.

My God, how she shone when she sang this song!

There's something expressed in Mestiza I've seen women relate with powerfully -- something which also causes me as a man to celebrate how wonderful it is that such women grace this life.

To steal a line from "Holy Roses," Perla, "you magnify MY world!"

Evocative, poetic, stirring, mesmerizing - "Mestiza" is a true masterpiece. Inspired by the great American songwriters of the end of the 20th century, and infused with a earthy latin-meets-folk feel, it also owes equal debts to the paintings of Kahlo and Rivera, to the lyrics of the great Brazilian songwriters, to the poetry and prose of South America. And then there's Perla's voice: gorgeous, warm, angelic, heavenly. The only thing this album fails to accomplish is to fully capture the warmth and "closeness" you'd experience at one of Perla's live shows - but that might just be impossible for a record to do. You'll have to catch her the next time she's in your neighborhood. In the meantime, this album will do you just fine. Highly recommended.

This is a cd that I put on rotation in my player more than 3 months ago and have never taken out. Strong voice that sounds like no other. Don't always understand the lyrics, but find myself singing them anyway.

Perla has such a warm, beautiful voice - when you hear her in person, her voice is as beautiful as she is.

An incredible vocal range and welcome mixture of contemporary, folk and spanish vocals, this is an album you'll enjoy listening to over and over. I was fortunate to see her in person a the '99 Seattle Bumpeershoot arts festival and her performances were among the most memorable.

Gentle voicings, beautiful harmonies, and Perla's easy way of charming her listeners made me an instant fan. This recording is as good as her live show, which says something for both. When I listen to Carmen A Santiago, I am transported, lifted, let down gently. Listen to this with someone you love.

what a refreshing treat to hear an artist so honest and non-derivative. Strong songwriting combined with haunting, evocative arrangements. I predict great things for this singer. Brava.

Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney wrote that:

"There are the mud-flowers of dialect/ And the immortelles of perfect pitch/ And that moment when the bird sings very close/ To the music of what happens."

"Mestiza" is, like the bird's song, very close to the music of what happens. This album brings to bear universal complexities of human experience refracted through one woman's soulful, reflective journey in song. Drawing on humor, complexity, darkness and joy, Perla's enormous generosity of spirit marks every track. Her voice goes deep, directly to the heart and gut. This stuff makes me dance and weep, sometimes all at once.

Live, Batalla surpasses expectation. Her new material, written with David Batteau, is killer.