Скачать или смотреть Natalia Lafourcada 'De Todas Las Flores' review. Vince Reilly.

Hi. This is Vince Reilly. The internet’s more genre fluid music music nerd.

I’ve never been much of a fan of Latin American music as it seems too often ‘da da day da da dada, da da day da da dada, “ and so on infinitum, which is, of course, a ridiculous prejudice and why it’s only now that I’ve even heard of Natalia Lafourcade. I know, I know. It’s like for some of you out there: Have you heard of Björk or Adele? It’s just that the closest I ever got to Latin American music was Astor Piazzolla or The Buena Vista Social Club way back in the 80s. Another thing is I don’t speak Spanish, which naturally is literally an ignorant attitude.

To put her fame in proportion, she recently played in New York’s Carnegie Hall and David Byrne did a duet with her near the start of the concert? She sells CDs by the lorry load and has won 14 Latin Grammys. This makes her Mexico’s answer to Madonna or Helene Fischer but with actual talent and good taste and no ego forever spinning out fo control.

I listen largely to experimental music but firmly believe that if you write a tonal song, it’s most important strength should be its melody. If you think that’s old fashioned, errr, so what? Now just look at this. Yes. That’s her face and many of her melodies on her latest album “De Todas las Flores” are that sweet. They grab you by the throat and don’t let go. And her voice is equally as sweet and natural, delicately licking and sucking on your ear. Ohhhh … ahhhh.

Now, ok, catch this. She’s four foot eight. That’s about 142 cms for those still in Europe. I’ll put it this way. If you are four foot 8 and you are watching this, it’s already past your bedtime. She’s like this black hole of talent and good will.

Her music is certainly Latin American but not as I’ve ever heard it, but only in the places inhabited by string quartets, spoken word, free-form Jazz, Rocky guitar. The rest is great but, in the end, well, Latin American and I like Jazz when it doesn’t sound like Jazz, so with Latin, or Rock or Funk or even Ambient. My favourite music has always merged or even defied a genre or catagory. Is Radiohead typical Rock? Is Björk even remotely Pop these days? Bowie’s ‘Low’ and ‘Heroes?’ David Bruce strictly Classical?

My argument here is that the best of “De Todas las Flores” is at its best when she sounds least, well, Latin American. When she is at her most self! And this, I believe is in her ballads, and most genre fluid, genuine and original, free to begin a song with a string quartet or Ravel style piano solo, add silence or an isolated instrument or sound or new direction.

I thank you for listening. Welcome any comments and Natalia Lafourcade’s “De Todas las Flores?”

Into this world I came alone
Alone I’m going to die