Is Y La Bamba indie-rock? Latin alternative? Introspective? All of the above, no doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lucha <\/em>is the seventh album from the Portland, Oregon band. Without a doubt, the soul of Y La Bamba is LuZ Elena Mendoza, singer, lyricist and guitarist. This Mexican-American, who fully embraces her dual identity, has a voice that combines intimacy and intensity. Whether she sings in Spanish or English – it’s about half and half – she creates a truly personal universe. At times, you might think she’s singing a Latin bolero, but just after that, we’re in a folk or dream rock universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eight, the first offering, takes us into a world that Bjork would not disavow. With soft guitars and an echoing piano, Luz’s vocals multiply, verging on dissonance before returning to softness. With Dibujos de mi Alma<\/em>, there’s more rhythm, but are we into rock or Latin beats? With explosions of brass, probably synthetic. And the electric guitars with lots of reverb, which is a big trademark of Y La Bamba. This is followed by La Lluvi de Guadalajara<\/em>, a short, meditative, experimental piece. It’s not until Collapse, the fourth piece, that we find ourselves in more of an alternative rock climate. There’s also a remarkable version of I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry<\/em>, by country singer Hank Williams, whose original dates back to 1949. It’s a total reworking, but a fabulous one. But make no mistake: there’s an exceptional coherence to this album, created in the midst of a pandemic, that keeps you going right to the end. From the ninth track onwards, I began to feel a little redundant. But the last few songs proved me completely wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On its website, Y La Bamba states that this is a concept album, essentially recounting Luz Elena Mendoza’s questioning of identity, the queer dimension, solitude, solidarity and love. Lucha means struggle in Spanish. The participation of Venezuelan-American Devendra Banhart in the song Hues <\/em>is also noteworthy. Like attracts like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I loved this Lucha. No downsides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n