Review Summary: Viva México!
How come a young white non-Spanish speaking European man takes a liking to blasting a traditional Mexican music album whenever he has the occasion? When the sky is blue and the temperature hits 25°C, few artists manage to bring as many posi vibes as Natalia Lafourcade. While the Mexican singer/songwriter first came to prominence with her 2002 pop rock debut, she's nowadays more famous for how her indie pop finds its meaning in traditional Latin American music. 2012 homage album
Mujer Divina, Homenaje a Agustin Lara to Mexican composer Agustin Lara was a catalyst. From then on, she started incorporating traces of traditional Mexican music with
Hasta La Raiz, although up to this point her music was still an indie/chamber-pop-influenced-by-Mexican-music type. Lafourcade fully reverted her approach when she proceeded to pay a proper tribute to Latin American music with the 2017/2018
Musas diptych.
Un canto por Mexico perpetuates this focus on Latin music with a special attention to her native country's music.
The album is thus a natural continuation of
Musas, trading the nueva canción latinoamericana tone for an emphasis on Mexican traditional genres and instruments. Strings, guitars, light percussions, flute and trumpet rise together to make these unknown genres appreciable for people like you and me. Ranchera, bolero, cumbia and mariachi are all mostly unknown genres for whitey boys and gals, but Lafourcade makes sure to vary her soundscape to gently introduce us to her country's traditions. First and foremost, she chiefly operates on the softer spectrum of her voice, yet never wavers to bring it to higher heights, like on "Mi Tierra Veracruzana". Lafourcade was already well-known for her vocal performances, and although this new record does not bring anything new to the table, she still fully unveils her voice in all its nuance.
Another factor facilitating a noob's experience of the record lies in the diverse material used. Indeed, one of Lafourcade's main characteristics is that she has always filled her albums with her own songs, traditional Mexican songs and pop classics. The formula is replicated here, transforming the chamber pop "Hasta la Raiz" into a ranchera tune. Other previous well-known tracks (at least according to Spotify), "Lo Que Construimos" and "Nunca Es Suficiente" also are revisited, cumbia style. On top of reexploring past material, Lafourcade surrounds herself with several Mexican bands, the most represented being Los Cojolites, to offer sunny and feel-good versions of traditional songs, such as the mariachi opener "El Balaju/Serenata Huasteca" or the bolero sweety "Veracruz". Whether it is her own covers or Mexico's standards, special attention was given to these new renditions of old songs: they each feel and sound different from their original version and thus become their own entities, surpassing the "mere covers" status.
Inevitably, anyone knowing Natalia Lafourcade's past catalogue can't help but compare these new tracks to their previous versions. So, of course to each their own, but the 2020 ranchera "Hasta La Raiz” does not have the same impact on me as the 2015 chamber pop version. On the other hand, these regional arrangements may mostly appeal to Latin Americans who would find the record a refreshing take on their traditional music. Still, a non-Latin audience will most probably be new to such genres and would thus prefer this kind of music on a shorter dose than a 60-minute LP. The record does suffer from a sequencing issue, a slight yet jolting drag occurring during its midcourse, but it never becomes dull or uninteresting; rather, the best tracks are located at the bookends.
As such, when said bookends fanfare chill summer tunes,
Un Canto por Mexico might well be the introduction to Mexican music for all of you spending too much time listening to metalcore or doing yet another Opeth ranking. The album delves into adored classic Mexican songs, but also skillfully revisits many of Lafourcade's songs with varying degrees of traditional instruments. The whole lot is romantic and soothing at its core, but it's when it becomes spirited that the record works the best. It's a record full of love and life affirming Natalia Lafourcade's place among Latin America's most interesting artists out here. There are far worse ways to spend your time than grabbing a cold one on a sunny day and blasting
Un Canto por Mexico.
