“When Flaco recorded ‘All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down’ with The Mavericks in 1995…that started us on the path that we’re on now, that we have been on for the last 20-some odd years,” Malo said. Malo addresses the role that the Tejano/Tex-Mex sound has always played in the Mavericks music, citing the participation of world famous San Antonio accordionist Flaco Jimenez early in the band’s career, as a major turning point for the group. 1 spot on the highly-regarded Tejano Gold Countdown by Rudy Treviño. The album’s genres, like its cultures, span a wide spectrum from ballads to boleros yet the album’s first single, “Poder Vivir,” with its strong Tejano/Mexican influences, has already affected airplay on Tejano stations around South Texas, with the song reaching the No. If you do Mexican music, you can’t do Cuban music.’ And I’m not saying that anybody (actually) says that, but it’s almost like a perceived barrier anyway.” We always, you know, say, ‘If you do Cuban music, you can’t do Mexican music. “There’s so much anti-immigration stuff and there’s so many sentiments now even Latinos amongst ourselves. “I wanted this record to be inclusive,” Malo said. And it’s really kind of a tribute to my parents and to the whole immigrant community.”Įn Español purposely offers sounds from around the Latin American region, including songs from Mexico, Cuba, and Argentina, as Malo wanted to honor all types of Latino music and forget about borders of any kind. These are songs that I grew up listening to as a kid. We just wanted to make this record because the music means so much. “I don’t have any delusions of all of a sudden being a Latin music artist,” Malo said. The album is more of an homage to the music of his youth and culture. Malo, a first-generation Cuban American, said he had long wanted to explore his Latin roots with an album of Spanish music, but by no means does he see himself as the next Iglesias, Juan Gabriel or Luis Miguel. RELATED: The Mavericks drop lead single ‘Poder Vivir’ from upcoming all-Spanish album “It’s a beautiful story and it’s the story of, gosh, I think of just about every musician that’s ever put on a guitar and stepped on a stage,” Malo said of “Me Olvidé de Vivir.” Of the Iglesias track, Malo said he loved the song and always thought it could offer “more of a folksy, country kind of vibe.” “The (songs) were carefully selected and for different reasons,” Malo said of the seven classics on En Español.
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Standouts include the haunting, brass-driven original offering, “Recuerdos,” and the cover of a folksy ballad made famous by Julio Iglesias, “Me Olvidé de Vivir,” where Malo bares his soul.
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On En Español, the Mavericks do indeed traverse new, exciting territory with the mix of originals and covers of established Latino songs. “It wouldn’t be a traditional record, by any means, you know? It wouldn’t be a traditional Mexican or Cuban or Puerto Rican record… And having the Mavericks make this record, it’s a band coming from a different world into this world and I wanted that feeling, that sort of feeling of the unknown, the new, the exciting.” “With the Mavericks, I knew that it would be sort of this hybrid,” Malo said during a phone conversation. Malo, who reunited with his band in 2012 after almost a decade apart, spoke with Tejano Nation about the new album, and said he knew he wanted to create this Spanish album with the Mavericks and not as a solo artist. The album features five original and impressive, even intoxicating, tracks, penned all or in part by Malo, and seven timeless Latino standards, including “Sabor a Mi,” “No Vale La Pena,” and “Sombras Nada Mas.” The album takes listeners on a musical journey of wide-ranging styles and sounds, with the originals sometimes even eclipsing the classic covers, such as with “Poder Vivir,” an upbeat polka with deep lyrical content, and the sultry “Mujer,” where Malo’s vocal instrument seduces with skill.