Percy Faith frequently dabbled in world music and had a great enthusiasm for Latin and exotic rhythms, which he explored on albums such as The Music of Brazil! and Jungle Drums.
Viva! The Music of Mexico is his musical evocation of Mexico and, like many of his albums, straddles the wide line between moody and boisterous. Stomping passages with percussion and brass segue into movements of sweet violins and vice versa. The humorous arrangement of "La Cucaracha" suggests what
Spike Jones might have sounded like as a mood music maestro, and
Faith's treatment of "Mexican Hat Dance" could have been scored for Disney. There is nothing "authentic" about
Viva! The Music of Mexico --
Faith mines the music and touristy image of Mexico for inspiration and comes up with an album of imaginative, at times vaguely ethnic, arrangements that provide listeners with a virtual tour of the idealized Mexico of Hollywood, picture postcards, and Mexican restaurants. ~ Greg Adams