Customer Reviews

Sandunga

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

 

 

Supreme clarity of voice, a magnificent variety of muscial treatments that still maintains the album's coherence, back-up players who deserve top-billing in their own right. There you have La Sandunga.

Tracks are sung in Spanish with one a capella piece rendered in Mixteco, a native language of southern Mexico. Lila Downs, a product of an American father and a Mixteca mother, displays a prodigious vocal range and a gifted ability of choosing pieces that vary from romantic to witty, from tragic to flippant.

Best of all: you don't need to know a word of Spanish (or Mixteco!) to appreciate this album to the fullest.

La Sandunga draws inspriation from the musical legancy of Mexico: the polka and waltz from Europe, percussion and sounds borrowed from the Cuba habanera, ranchera music of Mexico of the 30s, the bolero fused from Colombian and African music.

Three cheers for a virtuoso singer who gives equal time to her backup musicians. Pay special attention to Hopalong Chagoyan (bass), Memo Porras (piano), Eduardo Corzo (clarinet) and Dennis Hart (sax).

Two of the tracks are accompanied by a 30-piece Mixtecan youth band. Their sheer exuberance puts me in mind of a happy klezmer group!

Lila Downs is an incredibly talented young singer. About half of the CD consists of fairly smoky jazz arrangements of Mexican standards.

Her voice is lovely, clear and filled with emotion. Ms Downs studied opera in college and, although she does not sound operatic on this album, it is obvious we are listening to a trained voice.

The title song, "La Sandunga," is a haunting lament that will stay with you long after you first hear it. This CD is a gem. Don't pass it up!

You don't have to understand Spanish to feel the power behindLila Down's musical communication of love, mystery, folklore, humor, and latin/indigenous color. She has an incredible range of voice -- in tone, timbre, and feel. I'm glad that someday I'll be the one who can say -- I always KNEW she was going to make a name for herself !

The musical accompaniment is delicious -- watch for her second album -- even BETTER !

Saw her in concert on a recent visit to Oaxaca (She was born in the Mixtec region of Oaxaca of a Mixteca mom and American dad) -- and was moved to tears several times.

This woman is going places.

Lila Downs was born in 1968 to a North American father and a Mixtec Indian mother who earned a living singing in the bars of Mexico City. Lila started singing mariachi songs at age eight, and even thought of becoming an opera singer. After dropping out of college, she returned to university to study voice and anthropology. In the 90's she began writing her own songs, having been inspired by those attempting the hazardous journey across the US/Mexican border. Now she is a high profile singer who you may have seen singing her songs in the recent movie "Frida", a biography of the famous artist.

Her third album, "La Sandunga", reflects her various influences, containing songs by Mexican and Spanish composers as well as traditional and original ones. Her vocal range is very wide and she is able to control various inflections with great skill. Most of the songs here have a jazzy cabaret or nightclub feel, thoughtful, emotional and powerful, reminiscent of the Portuguese fado. Others have a light bouncy mariachi style. She is professionally accompanied on guitar, sax, piano, bass and percussion, and the recorded sound is excellent.

A pity the mood changes so abruptly from track to track as the style of song changes - I prefer the soul-drenched cabaret stuff to the full-on mariachi and I found it difficult to be bounced from one mood to a completely different one. However, Lila puts her heart and soul into every one of them. A very lyrical and unusual performer.

Wow! This is the first album that I heard of Lila Downs. I was blown away. Her interpretations of the classics had me wanting more. If I have a slight criticism....the mixtec song sounded a bit out of place.

Lila Downs es una mujer que canta en un voz iniolvidable y su musica es excepcional. Su estilo es unico, como Lila no hay otra. Su voz puede ser muy hondo y grueso o muy alto, pero de todos modos es un voz y un estilo unico. Hace unos meces yo la vi en Tijuana quando comenso su tour de "La Linea" y es una maravilla y talentosa mujer que merece tu apodo. Tienes que escuchar como canta "La Lorrona" o cualquier ejemplo para entendir. "La Llorona" comemenza muy despacio con un solo de piano pero cuando Lila canta todo cambia. Cuando su voz cambia te va dejar con la boca abierto. Comienza a cantar en su estilo opera y es increible. Este disco es uno de esos que puedes escuchar mil veces y nunca se cansa, siempre te deja con ganas de escuchar lo otra vez. Todas las canciones son diferentes a lo que estas acostumbrado, una mezcla de jazz y folklorico, pero la estrella es la voz y personaje de Lila. Cuando canta el clasico cancion romantico "Sabor a mi" quiero abrazar Lila y dar le las gracias por su interpretacion. "El Venadito" es una cancion que puede ser de otra epoca porque tiene un sonido de los ranchos de aquellos tiempos, antes de CD's cuando la gente tocaban discos. Entre los tres discos que a grabado Lila todos son differentes y buenos pero en este te da una ventanita de su corazon y alma tan bonito y hermoso. Es su primer disco y con cada sigiente es mejor que el otro si lo pudes creer. Te va gustar este disco si te gusta la musica de Mexico nuevo pero eterno. Te recomendo todos los discos de Lila y esto es un bien lugar para comenzar.