La Cantina

MANY OF US WHO LOVE Mexico, its people and its culture, have long been under the thrall of Lila Downs, so a new CD release by this remarkable artist is exciting news.

Maika introduced me to Lila at her Son y La Rumba club almost 10 years ago. And I've been avidly following her career ever since.

Born in 1968 to an American academic father and a Oaxacan Mixtec mother, who was a singer, she grew up shuttling between Mexico and the U.S. And her music draws upon all the cultural threads of both heritages.

She studied voice and anthropology in both countries, and even had thoughts of becoming an opera singer at one point. You can still hear echoes of that ambition in her vocal style. She has extraordinary vocal range and tonality.

But the specialness of Lila Downs is her melding of disparate musical styles and innovative arrangements of traditional material: Mexican cumbia, ranchera, waltz, bolero, chilena and original compositions which experiment with rap, jazz, rock and reggae.

Her debut album, La Sandunga, covers many of the Oaxacan classics.

Yutu Tata, Tree Of Life, inspired by the ancient codices is infused with indigenous mysticism. With La Linea (2001), Lila addresses the problems of the border, the plight of the immigrant and the racism suffered by native peoples. A profound social conscience characterizes much of her work, along with a deep reverence for the spirituality and culture of the Mexican people. Then came her association with Frida and her performance at the Oscars before an audience of millions; her fame was assured.

One Blood followed her Frida success and includes songs from the soundtrack, including the achingly beautiful "Cielo Rojo" and original arrangements of the two best known Mexican songs ever: "La Cucuracha" and "La Bamba". Tough act to follow.

Now we have La Cantina, which explores another facet of Mexican popular culture. It evokes the subculture of the bars, cantinas, and cabarets; a world expressed in the ranchera songs of José Alfredo Jiiménez, populated by women of the night and despairing men, drowning the pain of love lost, love betrayed in a shot glass of tequila. These are the images of the film noir of the Golden Era of Mexican Cinema.

It is a theme that might disturb some of Lila's fans; much of these rancheras, corridos and norteñas are decidedly macho (and I believe this is the only disc that doesn't include a song in an indigenous language). But this predominantly Mestizo expression is just another thread in the rich tapestry of Mexican culture.

Lila treads here with compassion, sensitivity and originality, acknowledging its importance in the evolution of the national popular culture. But how could she not include some of the huasteca and cumbia that she wears so well? And, of course, there are the anthems to her beloved Oaxaca in "Cumbia de Mole" and "Water From Roses".

Much of the credit for the special "Lila sound" belongs to her musical associate and life partner, brilliant arranger Paul Cohen and a house band of talented pan-American musicians. Cantina also has some amazing guest artists, including Flaco Jiménez.

It's easy to root for Lila because she is a genuinely nice person, stardom or not. She still regularly visits P.E. unobtrusively and actively supports worthy causes on both sides of the border. Today Lila Downs belongs to the world, but in Puerto, she'll always be "our Lila".