Eclectic Ear

On May 10, Colombian-American pop star Soraya died of breast cancer. She was 37.

A singer, musician, and songwriter, Soraya won a 2004 Latin Grammy for Best Songwriter (for the song “Casi”), and a 2005 Latin Grammy for Female Pop Vocal Album (for El Otro Lado de Mi).

Soraya’s final album represented an exciting new direction in her career, which makes her death all the more poignant. With El Otro Lado di Mi, Soraya made it clear that she was more than a pop princess. She explored more complex musical paths, combining South American guitars and percussion with a rock vibe.

Continue reading "Soraya: El Otro Lado de Mi" »

Posted by EricBond at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This album by Takoma Park chanteuse Lisa Mosciatello was proclaimed the 2005 album of the year at the Wammies (awards by the Washington Area Music Association) held in February.
Moscatiello has taken many paths in her career. She got her start at 16, singing traditional Irish songs for Ceoltiori. Later, she moved on to British folk rock with The New Saint George. More recently, she has explored both techno and Celtic fusion.

Continue reading "Lisa Moscatiello: Trouble from the Start" »

Posted by EricBond at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shifting gears, I turn to my most eagerly awaited album of the year, Show Your Bones by Yeah, Yeah Yeahs. Unlike the previous two selections, this album is built from the raw snarl of rock and roll. Often compared to other fierce female rockers—Patti Smith, Crissie Hynde, Siouxie et al.—Yeah’s frontwoman, Karen O, carves her way through these songs with distinction.

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Posted by EricBond at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On her debut album, Haydée Milanés—like so many pop stars since Madonna—simply goes by her first name. But I suspect that in her case her reason is less vanity, and more an attempt to stand outside the shadow of her father, famed Cuban singer/songwriter Pablo Milanés. Then again, using simply her first name better invokes Che’s guerrilla compañera Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider, for whom Haydée Milanes is undoubtedly named.

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Posted by EricBond at 07:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lila Downs has been a prolific artist. This album is her fourth since her first major release, La Sanduga, in 1999 (in the mid 1990s, while bouncing between clubs in Philadelphia and Oaxaca, Mexico, Downs made a few jazzier recordings with limited release). Her other albums are Tree of Life (2000), Border/La Linea (2001), and Una Sangre/One Blood (2004). Last year, Una Sangre/One Blood won a Latin Grammy for best folk album. In 2002, Downs contributed a number of songs to the film Frida, and had a striking role in the film, periodically appearing to sing. Her physical similarity to Frida Kahlo, and the passion of her voice—at times lusty, at others festive, and at others heartfully melancholic—aurally embodied the spirit of Frida.

Continue reading "Lila Downs: La Cantina" »

Posted by EricBond at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)