Chilean-born
Mariana Montalvo might have lived in Paris since the Pinochet coup of 1973, but her heart is still with the nueva cancion movement that changed Latin music in the '60s and '70s. Poetic, often acoustic-based, it was a sound of the people. It's quite apparent on this record, whether in the gorgeously lulling "Ah Si Pudiese" or the brass band-propelled "Piel de Acietuna."
Montalvo herself is a seductive singer, with just the merest hint of huskiness to her voice that brings a warmth to the music. Whether sounding quite traditional, as she does on "Mal Que Mata," or bringing in new elements with the reggae-fied "Sud' Americano" (which ends up coming across as an AAA version of
Manu Chao, curiously), she's always convincing and committed, with a backing that's sympathetic but never obtrusive. Her duet with Congolese singer
Lokua Kanza on "Encuentro" connects the dots between Latin America and Africa, while her take on
Jacques Brel's "La Canción de los Amantes" does the same for her homeland and Europe -- and offers a sense of her two homes, spiritual and temporal. ~ Chris Nickson