NATALIA LAFOURCADE — Musas, Vol.1 "Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos" (2017) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Over the past decade, Natalia Lafourcade appears to have found her groove, alternating between new albums of original material and projects that allow her to investigate other avenues; in particular, the rich heritage of Mexican and Latin American song. In this respect, Musas may initially seem like a sequel to Mujer Divina, her 2012 tribute to Agustín Lara, but a closer analysis exposes several telling differences between records. With Mujer Divina, Lafourcade was translating Lara's work into her pop idiom in the company of several Latin rock and pop stars. Musas, on the other hand, is neither dedicated to a single composer nor a duets album. Most of all, instead of bringing old songs to the present, Lafourcade herself is now traveling back in time to fully immerse in traditional sounds and genres. Finally, rather than celebrate a famous past composer, this project was born from Lafourcade's desire to work with Los Macorinos, the exquisite guitar duo formed by Juan Carlos Allende and Miguel Peña, who famously used to accompany Chavela Vargas, among many others artists. Even if Musas features several other notable collaborators (Gustavo Guerrero, Martín Bruhn, Ximena Sariñana, Juan Manuel Torreblanca, Héctor Castillo, David Aguilar, and Cheche Alara, not to mention a duet with the great Omara Portuondo), los Macorinos remain the heart and soul of this record, together of course with Lafourcade's voice: she has rarely sung better. As for the repertoire, Lafourcade tackles songs by Lara (again!) and Roberto Cantoral, but also extends her vision beyond Mexico to cover Frank Domínguez (Cuba), Violeta Parra (Chile), and Simón Díaz (Venezuela), gently navigating across 50 years or more of Latin American folk music. Unsurprisingly, Musas is a delight from start to finish. Lost in the album's elegance and breeziness, however, the casual listener may miss what is truly impressive about this work. Lafourcade is not merely revisiting the Great Latin American Songbook here: she is measuring herself against it. Musas includes five Lafourcade originals written in the same spirit as the songs by the celebrated composers mentioned above, and -- unless one cheats by looking at the credits -- it is virtually impossible to tell them apart from their noble predecessors. Self-penned opener "Tú Si Sabes Quererme," a son jarocho made in 2016 and graced by a sublime performance by Lafourcade and the always-impeccable los Macorinos, is easily the most beautiful song on this lovely record and an automatic contender for Latin track of the year. It gets better: apparently a second volume from these sessions is already in the mastering stage. Mariano Prunes  

Tracklist :

1 Tu Sí Sabes Quererme  4:05
Classical Guitar, Backing Vocals [Chorus] – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Cuatro [Cuatro Venezolano], Guitar [Jarana], Backing Vocals [Chorus] – Gustavo Guerrero
Double Bass – Luri Molina
Lyrics By, Music By – Natalia Lafourcade
Organ [Pump Organ] – Cheche Alara
Percussion – Martín Bruhn
Vocals – Natalia Lafourcade
2 Soledad Y El Mar  3:35
Backing Vocals [Chorus] – David Aguilar, Juan Manuel Torreblanca
Classical Guitar, Backing Vocals [Chorus] – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Double Bass – Luri Molina
Lap Steel Guitar, Percussion, Backing Vocals [Chorus] – Gustavo Guerrero
Lyrics By, Music By – David Aguilar, Natalia Lafourcade
Percussion – Martín Bruhn
Vocals, Percussion – Natalia Lafourcade
3 Mexicana Hermosa  3:30
Classical Guitar – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Lyrics By, Music By – Gustavo Guerrero, Natalia Lafourcade
Vihuela – Gustavo Guerrero
Vocals – Natalia Lafourcade
4 Qué He Sacado Con Quererte  4:26
Cello – Álvaro Bitrán
Classical Guitar – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Double Bass – Luri Molina
Guitar [Folk Guitar] – Gustavo Guerrero
Lyrics By, Music By – Violeta Parra Sandoval
Percussion – Martín Bruhn
Vibraphone – Cheche Alara
Vocals, Effects – Natalia Lafourcade
5 Rocío De Todos Los Campos  4:49
Classical Guitar – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Double Bass – Luri Molina
Flugelhorn – Alfredo Pino
Lyrics By, Music By – Natalia Lafourcade
Percussion – Gustavo Guerrero, Martín Bruhn
Piano, Harmonium – Cheche Alara
Vocals, Percussion – Natalia Lafourcade
6 Mi Tierra Veracruzana  3:46
Backing Vocals [Chorus, Ensamble Allaire] – Daniel Flores (6), Diana Chávez, Ericka Bañuelos, Iraky Cárdenas, Laura Macías, Leonardo Veras, Rubén Camacho (2), Valeria Arroyo
Backing Vocals [Chorus] – David Aguilar, Juan Manuel Torreblanca, Ximena Sariñana
Balafon [Balafón] – Cheche Alara
Classical Guitar, Backing Vocals [Chorus] – Juan Carlos Allende
Classical Guitar, Vihuela, Backing Vocals [Chorus] – Miguel Peña
Double Bass – Luri Molina
Guitar [Folk Guitar], Jarana, Balafon [Balafón], Percussion, Backing Vocals [Chorus] – Gustavo Guerrero
Lyrics By, Music By – Natalia Lafourcade
Percussion – Martín Bruhn
Vocals, Percussion – Natalia Lafourcade
7 Te Vi Pasar  2:39
Classical Guitar – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Double Bass – Luri Molina
Guitar [Folk Guitar], Twelve-String Guitar – Gustavo Guerrero
Harmonium – Cheche Alara
Lyrics By, Music By – Agustín Lara
Percussion – Uriel Herrera
Vocals – Natalia Lafourcade
8 Son Amores (That's Amore)  3:45
Classical Guitar – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Double Bass – Luri Molina
Lyrics By, Music By – Harry Warren, Jack Brooks 
Piano, Harmonium, Vibraphone – Cheche Alara
Vocals, Effects – Natalia Lafourcade
Xylophone – Gustavo Guerrero
9 Tú Me Acostumbraste  3:08
Classical Guitar – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Double Bass – Luri Molina
Featuring – Omara Portuondo
Lyrics By, Music By – Frank Domínguez
Vocals – Natalia Lafourcade, Omara Portuondo
10 Soy Lo Prohibido  3:43
Classical Guitar – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Double Bass – Luri Molina
Lyrics By, Music By – Francisco Dino López Ramos, Roberto Cantoral
Percussion – Gustavo Guerrero
Vocals, Effects – Natalia Lafourcade
11 Tonada De Luna Llena  5:00
Classical Guitar – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Double Bass – Luri Molina
Lyrics By, Music By – Simón Diaz
Vocals – Natalia Lafourcade
Vocals, Cuatro [Cuatro Venezolano], Vihuela, Maracas – Gustavo Guerrero
12 Vals Poético (Instrumental)  3:18
Classical Guitar – Juan Carlos Allende, Miguel Peña
Music By – Felipe Villanueva