HOT HALF DOZEN 3.14.23

6 great songs this week from 117 submissions. Plus a bonus from
Binx and the concept album of a Broadway play

117 submissions this week for review

Benito Cuba, single/video by Elsten Torres. The King of Love Songs (and much more). This is an ode to Cuba by one of its most successful music sons. If you have even been to Havana, you know that music flows through the city like blood through veins and arteries. It never really leaves you. The song swings and sways, reminisces, and brings up memories that are his, but he makes them yours. A beautiful song, a beautiful tribute. Available March 24 on major platforms and YouTube. Spanish.

No Puedo Cruzar, single/video by Eljuri. Wow. Eljuri has hit another home run. The horns, the Latin beat, the message- and most of all the mystery and the urgency she put into this song. It is so many things at once and she brings them all together in a 4 min earworm. Stream on Spotify. Spanish.

Será Lo Que Tú Quieras, single by Ramona. Ramona is the leading band in the indie music movement in Tijuana, whose music bursts with the  emblematic sounds of Mexico, combined with other genres and decades. Será Lo Que Tú Quieras is  part of a love story inspired by the chicano culture in the border, carrying you along melodically like a gentle wave and smooth vocals. Stream on all major platforms.

Mi Gran Dolor ,single by  Karen Y Los Remedios  . The video is sort of a spooky day dream, but the cumbia, low-fi, dream pop and electro combination pulls you in with a tick-tock rhythm, slick production,  and Karen’s ethereal voice. This is the first song from the Mexican singer’s debut album Silencia and she has paired it with a video she directed in Guanajuato. with Alejandra Genco and Christian Moreno of Catorce Fotogramas. Stream on Spotify and major platforms.

Tú y Tú, single by Los Angles Azules. The icons of East Los Angeles cumbia. Raw, gritty, melodic; a perfect mixture of sweet female voices ( Cazzu and Santa Fe Klan – aka songwriter Ángel Jair Quezada Jasso), Mexica accordion, male-led chicano rap and of course, cumbia. Great writing, great delivery. Great music. Truly Music Sin Fronteras.  Stream on Spotify. Video on YouTube (except in Mexico)

Regretting Almost Everything, concept album for Broadway show. Something new for Music Sin Fronteras. This one was sent to me a few weeks ago and I have been playing it and visualizing the theatrical production. If you know Broadway, it reminds you of Company, but sharper, much sexier (and maybe not), and much more engaging as it bounced from Chicago to Milwaukee. And the voices nd writing grab you and won’t let you go. Take a listen – follow the story, laugh with the characters. Download on Apple Music, iTunes and Pandora.

BONUS

Cloud Kingdom, single by BINX

Patrick O’Heffernan