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Hasta La Raiz - Natalia Lafourcade (2015)

Thanks to my regular engagement with/ NPR’s All Songs Considered at the time, I’d had a track from Natalia Lafourcade’s first album in my rotation way back in the early aughts. Little did I know that she’d end up being one of Mexico’s most celebrated and decorated modern artists over the next 20 years. Proof, I suppose, that my hipster tendencies are unbound by language or geographic borders.

Todo lo que te gusta, a mí me gustaba hace 20 años.

This album is much more rooted in traditional Mexican and Latin musical styles than her previous pop rock records. To the extent that I catch the lyrics, still with the help of Google Translate, it’s an in-depth examination of a bad breakup.

It’s a lovely record, an expansive and elegant listen whether you pay attention to the lyrics or not.

Pistas que me gustaron

Para Que Sufrir - a lovely little bossa tune

Nunca Es Suficiente - snappy and savvy pop

Palmoas Blancas - a gorgeous ballad