The Mavericks released the single, “Recuerdos,” on July 16, which is the second offering from the genre-bounding award-winning group’s upcoming album, En Español, due out Aug. 21.
En Español will be the first all-Spanish language album for the venerable group, best known for the beloved baritone of lead singer Raul Malo and for its inimitable musical mix of country, folk, rock, jazz, and Tex-Mex/Latin influences.
On this latest single, Malo delves deep into his Cuban roots with a cha-cha-cha rhythm that starts slow and sad with forlorn lyrics about an old love whose memories will always accompany him. As he did on the first single, “Poder Vivir,” Malo shines vocally on “Recuerdos,” but in this instance, he evokes heartache rather than hope and listeners will feel the emotion he evokes.
“Recuerdos” does not stay slow or sad for long, however, as it builds up midway through, led by an impressive keyboard solo from Jerry Dale McFadden that ignites, and, paired with the brass power of the trumpets and sax, will make listeners move and sway to the irresistible hip-shaking finale.
Malo, together with fellow Cuban Alejandro Menéndez Vega, the Mavericks’ director and videographer, wrote “Recuerdos,” which is one of five original tracks that will appear on the new album. The remaining seven tracks on En Español are made up of Latin music classics done Mavericks’ style, to include, among others, the Mexican and Cuban standards: “Sombras Nada Más,” “Sabor a Mí,” “No Vale la Pena,” “La Sitiera,” and “Me Voy a Pinar del Río.”
Malo, who – during a break from The Mavericks – toured in the early 2000s with the Tex-Mex supergroup, Los Super Seven, said he wanted to represent a variety of Latin cultures on the group’s first all-Spanish album.
“This album, to me, celebrates all those cultures that are so beautiful and so vibrant,” Malo said, on the group’s website. “I’m proud of this record for that. I think it’s a very inclusive record. Because this story is not just my story, it’s the story of a lot of Latinos.”
The Mavericks’ En Español debuts on Aug. 21 and is already available for pre-order on all digital music platforms.
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