A couple years after battling breast cancer and releasing an album inspired by the experience,
Vida Tóxica (2007),
Luz Casal unveiled
La Pasión, an album of boleros that pays tribute to Latin American songwriters of the mid-20th century. From the 1940s up until the 1970s, a lot of Spanish artists fled the right-wing authoritarian regime of Francisco Franco and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Latin America. While not all of the songs featured on
La Pasión are the work of Spanish refugees, they were all written during a period when Spaniards were coming in droves to countries like Argentina and Mexico, and these immigrants, many of them artists, brought their culture with them to the New World.
Casal pays tribute to this era with
La Pasión, an album of boleros written by
René Touzet ("Con Mil Desengaños"), Maria Grever ("Alma Mia"),
Eduardo Magallanes ("Historia de un Amor"), and others, many of whom are obscure.
La Pasión was produced by
Renaud Letang, a French hitmaker known for his work with
Manu Chao,
Alain Souchon, and
Feist, among others, and the orchestral arrangements were conducted by
Eumir Deodato, an industry stalwart who gives the album an air of majesty. Complementing the orchestral arrangements of
Deodato are veteran percussionists
Alex Acuña and
Luis Conte, who supply the Latin rhythms that underscore these songs of romantic passion. The 11 songs of
La Pasión are performed in a uniform style, and as all of the inclusions are classics to some degree, there isn't a dull moment on this album, which runs for less than 40 minutes. While it's difficult to single out particular highlights, given the consistent excellence of the album, there are a few songs that stand out, namely "Alma Mia," "Historia de un Amor," and "A Dónde Va Nuestro Amor." As for
Casal herself, she sounds as divine as ever and fully at ease with these boleros. All things considered,
La Pasión is such an impressive album release that one wishes
Casal would release another in this style, a sequel perhaps. ~ Jason Birchmeier