Sinners & Saints

Raul Malo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fantasy
• ASIN: B003O7MI60
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,217 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sinners & Saints

2. Living For Today

3. San Antonio Baby

4. `Til I Gain Control Again

5. Staying Here

6. Superstar

7. Sombras

8. Matter Much To You

9. Saint Behind The Glass

Editorial Reviews

Self-produced in his home studio, Sinners & Saints is the most intimate, honest and complex album Raul Malo has made in an already distinguished career. One hears in it a lifetime's journey, from the singer-songwriter's youth in Cuban neighborhoods of Miami through his years as one of the most intriguing talents in the Americana scene.

Rooted in Malo's lifelong connection to Latin music but infused with his wide-ranging love of country, blues, jazz and vintage rock 'n' roll, Sinners & Saints combines sonic ingenuity with emotional sincerity.

In a departure from his past albums, Malo took his tracks from his home studio in Nashville to Austin, where an incredible musical cross-pollination took place. Malo has spent much time playing in Texas with the Lone Star State's wealth of legendary musicians. He entered longtime friend Ray Benson's Bismeaux Studios and finished the album with the help of Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornado veteran Augie Meyers on the Vox Continental organ and, on the song "Superstar," guitarist Shawn Sahm, Sir Douglas' son. The Trishas (Savannah Welch, Kelley Mickwee, Liz Foster and Jamie Wilson) provided background vocals. And hotshot accordionist Michael Guerra, known for his work with the Tex-Mex Experience, lent further Tejas authenticity to the sound.

The title track opens the record, setting the album's tone thematically and musically. From his boyhood and through his years of coming of age in Miami, Malo spent many nights in neighborhood music rooms listening to local artists perform their Flamenco zarzuelas. Malo wrote "Sinners & Saints" by conjuring up those nights in his head, and playing his electric guitar with a cross between Flamenco melodicism and retro surf-twang. "It has no chorus, no repeatable line," he says, "And it's long. Purposefully long."

The second track, "Living for Today," ventures into socio-political territory against an upbeat sound that includes chiming guitars, Meyers' Vox organ and the Trishas' backing vocals. In a musical space that includes the biting observations of Rodney Crowell, James McMurtry or Todd Snider, this song is a welcome addition. Speaking of Crowell, Malo provides a heart-felt reading of his modern-day standard "Til I Gain Control Again."

The disc's other songs are also full of special moments. In Austin Malo recorded an original song called "Superstar" with several pals from the Texas Tornados. That and several other tracks feature Guerra's blazing Tex-Mex accordion, as in "San Antonio Baby." In a more serious vein, Malo delivers the classic Spanish song "Sombras" in the stunning tenor voice that made him famous. He also offers an innovative cover of Los Lobos' "Saint Behind the Glass," whose rich mix of percussion, guitars and Mexican instruments will leave audiophiles deeply absorbed. The cryptic lyrics offer an unexpected finale to the album.

Raul Malo has seen and done a great deal in his career but Sinners & Saints demonstrates there is much more inside him. "This is the hardest I've ever worked on an album," he says with a mixture of relief and pride. That includes the physical labor of confronting the studio alone day after day as well as the emotional courage to challenge his listeners and speak his mind. "This really is about me and my point of view. I realized that after I'd done it. It reflects really how I feel about a lot of things. That's why this is as much of me as I've ever put on a record.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better and Better October 5, 2010

By ShelleyP

Format:Audio CD

Raul Malo has a voice that is unmatched in the music industry today. Each album he makes, post-Mavericks, we get a little better glimpse into his versatility and talent. His new album,Sinners and Saints, is no exception... his rich vocals are peppered with vintage guitar, Vox organ, and tasteful accordian throughout. From the jangly guitar and haunting trumpet sounds of the title track, to his poignant take on the old Spanish standard Sombras, with the danceable party of San Antonio Baby in between, this album proves that Raul Malo only gets better and better with each endeavor.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A mature, thoughtful and thought provoking cd from Raul Malo October 5, 2010

By cmp

Format:Audio CD

I have been listening to this cd almost non stop since I received it and it is stunning. At first, so many subjects are covered; faith or the lack thereof, social responsibility, tolerance,...passions that lead to the unthinkable ("Sombras")...that the album seems overwhelming. But as one listens, one sees a thread running through the varied themes. Life...We pray even when we doubt, we love what we shouldn't, we stay and live up to our responsibilities even when we don't feel appreciated or understood...Every song on this cd is like a film or novel in 6:10 minutes or less.

Raul's voice and musicianship is extraordinary and in full bloom in this cd. His voice seems purposely more reserved than usual. Perhaps to allow the listener to move beyond awe of his amazing range and listen to the lyrics and nuances of the melodies and performances.

"Staying Here" is a standout for me. Poignant, touching...I think it must speak to so many people out there.
"San Antonio Baby" has hit written all over it! "Matter Much To You" and "Living For Today" beautiful, timely observations on the world today.

Love this cd. My favorite Raul Malo cd has been "Today" since it was first released back in 2001...all his other cd's have been excellent...but this one is maybe...it's tied with "Today"!

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Raul Malo revisits his country, rock and Latin roots October 5, 2010

By hyperbolium

Format:Audio CD

After spending the better part of the last decade edging away from the sounds of the Mavericks, Malo began to find his way back from cover songs and supper club countrypolitan with last year's genre-bending Lucky One. Here he takes an even more personal step, producing himself in a home studio and finishing off the tracks in Ray Benson's Austin-based Bismeaux Studios. Malo reconnects with the upbeat Tex-Mex (or really, Cuban-Country) and gripping balladry that made his earlier work so arresting; the relaxed tempos and too-neat productions that failed to spark After Hours are counted off here with verve, and the arrangements are given soulful edges that match Malo's deeply emotional vocals.

The balance weighs making music from the heart over production perfection, as evident on a cover of Rodney Crowell's "'Til I Gain Control Again." Sung in a complete take, Malo aptly describes the recording as "not perfect, but the emotion is there." If it's not technically perfect, Malo's probably the only one who could point out the problems, and singing with the dynamism Waylon Jennings brought to his earlier cover, it's hard to imagine the words being put across any better. Just as effective is the Spanish-language "Sombras," with Malo pledging no less than his life to prove his love, and the drowsy "Matter Much to You" builds tension by hesitating to make the operatic Roy Orbison leap you might expect.

Cuban roots open the album with a lonely trumpet that beckons a bullfighter into the ring, but before the toreador appears, Malo's organ and guitar add surf twang and spaghetti western mystery.... Augie Meyers' classic Vox Continental appears on several tracks, adding the texture and tone of the Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornados; the latter guest on "Superstar," with Michael Guerra's accordion casting a truly incredible spell. The rock `n' soul of "Living For Today" suggests Delaney and Bonnie, but with the seeds sewn in the Nixon era watered by decades of American imperialism the lyrics have sprouted into mortal fatalism and the politically charged feeling that "we tried givin' peace a chance / the only thing that's wrong with that / we been at war since I was born."

The original "Staying Here" sounds like something Elvis might have cut on his triumphant late-60s return to recording in Memphis. Malo plays everything on this track but the lead organ, but you'd be hard-pressed to know this was a one-man overdubbing band if you didn't look at the credits - he's that good at drums, bass, guitar, Mellotron and even tambourine; his voice is so fetching that it's easy to forget his talents as an instrumentalist. Malo's new songs are complemented by a cover of Los Lobos' "Saint Behind the Glass," further demonstrating that the contained form of his previous lounge material may have been an interesting singer's exercise, but the expansive soul of these performances is the greater listener's joy. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com] Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Triumphant and Simply Superb December 17, 2010

By Valerie J. Wood VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am prefacing this review with the notation that if you are reading this, you are quite likely aware that Raul Malo possesses one of the most phenomenal voices in music. Internationally acclaimed for his amazing vocal talent, it is simply not possible to overpraise Malo's singing ability. Likewise, as a song-writer, guitarist and musician, Malo is one of the finest performers in the world today.

With Sinners & Saints, Raul Malo's latest album, this incomparable musical artist displays a distinctive, focused vision. From the compelling, triumphant opening to the title song - a memorable trumpet solo that soars--through the contemplative, thought-provoking finale on this album, Saint Behind the Glass, Malo's music is a remarkable range of compositions that reaches new heights in showcasing this unparalleled singer's unique style.

Standouts on this album, in addition to the title song, Sinners and Saints, include San Antonio Baby, a lively, rousing, delightful Tex-Mex rendition in the style that Malo made synonymous with his country-rock band of the 1990's, The Mavericks. His cover of Rodney Crowell's classic, Til I Gain Control Again, sets a new standard for this classic.

Malo's previous albums as a solo artist, particularly Hello Again and Lucky One, are fitting preambles to this CD. Song-writers and artists such as Raul Malo and Garth Brooks understand that an album, in the traditional and ideal sense is a `place in time' for an artist. The songs chosen and written for an album, artistically, show where the performer is creatively at a particular point in their careers. This school of thought is one of the reasons why it took so long for The Beatles albums to be available on iTunes--why their rights were held out for so long before acquiescing to public demand.... Once songs are `chopped away' from an album something intangible is lost. In today's music market it becomes more and more difficult hold out from the demand for instant gratification, in this case downloading a single song, but there is certainly something to be said for this school of thought.

It is difficult to describe Malo without drawing comparisons to the other great artists and performers. One strives for a way to convey an appreciation of Raul's talent and simply runs out of superlatives to try and express the range and ability of this extraordinarily gifted man. He truly does have the superb versatility and vocal ability to rival a Roy Orbison and the musical guitar talent and songwriting ability to place him on the same level as icons such as John Lennon/Paul McCartney. For all of the admiration and adoring adulation he receives, a large part of Malo's immense personal charm is that he does not let this all `go to his head.' Indeed, he is one of the most gracious, humble, considerate, and down-to-earth men you would ever want to meet. Truly spectacular talent needs no ego to affirm its existence.

For this particular album, it becomes clear that there is no `right' or `wrong' aspect in the lyrics of the range of songs on this CD. Sinners & Saints focuses more on humanity--the human foibles, emotions, uncertainties and frailties we have all experienced at some time in our lives--and the ultimate triumph perhaps is the tenacity and triumph of spirit. Read more ›