Since her debut in 2002, Natalia Lafourcade has embarked on a wildly creative, seldom predictable, and richly rewarding musical career. Blessed with both a powerful voice and a clear reverence for the depth and range of Mexican music past and present, Lafourcade has consistently blurred the lines between tradition, pop culture, and adventurous iconoclasm. Coming off the heels of two remarkable albums (Musas, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, 2017 and 2018, respectively) that combined covers of Latin American folk and pop standards from the mid-20th century with Lafourcade's original songwriting and the acoustic sounds of guitar duo Los Macorinos, as well as a breakthrough with English-speaking audiences thanks to a duet with Miguel on the Coco soundtrack's "Remember Me," her announcement in 2018 that she was going to take a hiatus from performing was somewhat surprising. That break was short-lived, and in early 2019 she announced a new musical project conceptually complementary to the two Musas albums: a live concert of mid-century Mexican classics, combined with new and old original material by Lafourcade done in a similar style. The concert was so successful—both artistically and as a fundraising tool—that the singer quickly went into the studio to record much of the material. This more eflective and quiet volume opens with the (literally) haunting "La Llorona," one of several songs that also appeared on the Musas albums; here, the ghost story is delivered in an even more spare and plaintive fashion, setting the stage for the 10 songs that follow, all of which revel in their emotional intensity. Although some tracks are arranged in a more complex manner than the guitars-and-voice style of the Musas albums (the gentle horns and delicate strings on a fantastic medley of "Alma Mía / Tú Me Acostumbraste / Soledad y El Mar" manage to be both diaphanous and warmly comforting), the mood is consistent, leaning heavily on son jarocho musical style and the skills of the mariachi orchestra on hand as backing musicians. As with the first volume of Un Canto, Lafourcade breezily shares the spotlight with other singers, including on another version of "La Llorona" (with Silvana Estrada and Ely Guerra), a medley of two Mon Laferte songs ("La Trenza / Amor Completo") with the Chilean singer, and, most notably, on "Recuérdeme," in which the Coco song is rendered as a lush ballad with guest vocals by Carlos Rivera, showing both her creative generosity and the effortlessness with which she is able to honor traditional forms in a modern-sounding context. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

Over the past decade, Natalia Lafourcade appears to have found her groove, alternating between new albums of original material and projects that allow her to investigate other avenues; in particular, the rich heritage of Mexican and Latin American song. In this respect, Musas may initially seem like a sequel to Mujer Divina, her 2012 tribute to Agustín Lara, but a closer analysis exposes several telling differences between records. With Mujer Divina, Lafourcade was translating Lara's work into her pop idiom in the company of several Latin rock and pop stars. Musas, on the other hand, is neither dedicated to a single composer nor a duets album. Most of all, instead of bringing old songs to the present, Lafourcade herself is now traveling back in time to fully immerse in traditional sounds and genres. Finally, rather than celebrate a famous past composer, this project was born from Lafourcade's desire to work with Los Macorinos, the exquisite guitar duo formed by Juan Carlos Allende and Miguel Peña, who famously used to accompany Chavela Vargas, among many others artists. Even if Musas features several other notable collaborators (Gustavo Guerrero, Martín Bruhn, Ximena Sariñana, Juan Manuel Torreblanca, Héctor Castillo, David Aguilar, and Cheche Alara, not to mention a duet with the great Omara Portuondo), los Macorinos remain the heart and soul of this record, together of course with Lafourcade's voice: she has rarely sung better. As for the repertoire, Lafourcade tackles songs by Lara (again!) and Roberto Cantoral, but also extends her vision beyond Mexico to cover Frank Domínguez (Cuba), Violeta Parra (Chile), and Simón Díaz (Venezuela), gently navigating across 50 years or more of Latin American folk music. Unsurprisingly, Musas is a delight from start to finish. Lost in the album's elegance and breeziness, however, the casual listener may miss what is truly impressive about this work. Lafourcade is not merely revisiting the Great Latin American Songbook here: she is measuring herself against it. Musas includes five Lafourcade originals written in the same spirit as the songs by the celebrated composers mentioned above, and -- unless one cheats by looking at the credits -- it is virtually impossible to tell them apart from their noble predecessors. Self-penned opener "Tú Si Sabes Quererme," a son jarocho made in 2016 and graced by a sublime performance by Lafourcade and the always-impeccable los Macorinos, is easily the most beautiful song on this lovely record and an automatic contender for Latin track of the year. It gets better: apparently a second volume from these sessions is already in the mastering stage.© Mariano Prunes /TiVo

After seven years in the hinterlands of controversy, legal issues with a former representative, and canceled concerts, Luis Miguel returns in grand style with the chart-topping ¡México por Siempre!, his second mariachi album. Evidence of its quality surfaced in October with the pre-release single "La Fiesta del Mariachi," featuring the surprise accompaniment of the celebrated El Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, one of the tradition's greatest bands. Each song on this 14-track set is a classic mariachi number, all perfectly suited for Miguel's golden, passionate voice. Other highlights among the classics include "El Balajú," "¿Por Qué Te Conocí?" and Miguel's nearly inimitable version of José Alfredo Jiménez's "Sin Sangre en las Venas."© TiVo

Mucho Mas Que Dos features actor and singer Ana Belen in live duets with her husband Victor Manuel on 16 classic songs written by some of the best songwriters of Spain’s so-called “Protest Generation.”© Steve Leggett /TiVo