Natalia Lafourcade - Un Canto por México, Vol. 2 ALBUM REVIEW

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Something unlocked in my mind while listening to this. I’m still working on what that is, though.


These days, folk music goes very underappreciated. A lot of people gravitate more towards the more iconic folk artists from the 60s and 70s like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, and it’s pretty easy to become fans of artists like Simon and Garfunkel. Sadly, not a lot of newer folk artists are getting the love they rightfully deserve. Right off the top of my head, artists like Bon Iver, Laura Marling, and even Ichiko Aoba deserve just as much love as the Dylans and the Cohens of the world. Focusing on foreign folk (or basically foreign to me, someone who was born and raised in America), it’s vastly overlooked. The aforementioned Aoba, who has quickly become one of my favorite artists ever, has a new competitor in this field of foreign folk music: Natalia Lafourcade. The Grammy-nominated singer has put out a new installment of her Un Canto por México series, this being the second volume. I’ve heard so many great things about Lafourcade, so I figured that I should try to get into her music with this new album here. Why wait? Let’s just get into it now.

We’re gonna start off with the instrumentals and arrangements first. Every single instrument here is gorgeous. The guitars, strings, trumpets, harps, and so much more come together beautifully to create a celebration of Mexican music, specifically folk. If you listen hard enough, you can also hear the smiles on everyone’s faces. I don’t use this comparison lightly, but it really reminded me of Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life for how happy this album made me feel. When it comes to Lafourcade’s vocal performances, they’re just as amazing. Her voice just has so much love and passion, and best of all, it all seems extremely genuine. It’s so distinct and will probably go down as one of my favorite new voices I’ve heard this year. Even though there are a bunch of collaborators on here, it feels like Lafourcade is the main character of a stage play here.

I’m legitimately in awe at this project right here. Un Canto por México, Vol. 2 is something to behold. I may not understand any type of Spanish, but Natalia Lafourcade is a master of her craft. She took the reins of this album and, with her collaborators, made it absolutely unforgettable and something truly special. This album is a blessing.


9/10


Listen here

YouTube Music




Un Canto por México, Vol. 2 is a Sony release.

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