Natalia LaFourcade- Hasta La Raiz (2015)

Natalia LaFourcade- Hasta La Raiz (2015)

“Contrary to the macho culture of Mexico, both my grandmothers were very brave young widows. I was always very close to these hard-working, intelligent women.”

Carlos Fuentes

By: Ghost Writer

 First of all I must make an observation to the casual reader, Mexican singer Natalia LaFourcade is far from an avant garde artist, in a way she grew up very close to mainstream pop, but what is really remarkable about her is that she has grown as an artist at an amazing pace, always restless , searching for new ways of expressing thru her music, not exactly all too original, but she has managed to direct het career towards a more personal way of making music, losing some followers, but consolidating her vision as that of a true musical auteur.

Hasta La Raiz sounds quite different to most mainstream music in Mexico, ironically this is Natalia's most daring recording and at the same time, perhaps it will be her most unpopular, it's easy to understand that the voracious pop consumers won't devour immediately a record like this, so full of quirky and personal detours, leaving long time followers with Natalia's vocals as perhaps the only recognizable factor in the whole record.

The title tracks brings forward that neo folkish elements lots of Latin-American artist try to achieve, but Natalia's cerebral approach to it works wonders in letting her achieve her goal, marrying pop to Chilean folk music experimental genius Violeta Parra's like compositions, combined with a very inspired string arrangement that expose Natalia's daring and mature new direction, turning into more upbeat Mi Lugar Favorito, that wisely combines elements of dynamic electronica tinged J Pop and nostalgia loaded ethereal French pop, putting her ahead of most of the Mexican pop acts that aim at innovation (apart from Cafe Tacvba, who else at this time?).

60s obscure balladry might be the main inspiration behind the concise near waltz of Antes de Huir, with languid vocals and arrangements that remind me of those very obscure and nearly unknown songs the Beach Boys issued after the Smile unfortunate incident, but Ya No Te Puedo Creer is a big surprise aching to those enigmatic soft rock songs of 70s bands like Bread or America, using really elaborated string arrangements in a way few Mexican acts dare to use, showing a compositional ambition that is too remarkable, putting her in a very special position compared to most Mexican pop performers.

Bossa Nova shows up in the sad and confessional Para Que Sufrir in which the spare instrumentation let us enjoy the purity of LaFourcade voice, which is again put wonderfully in display in the heart breaking Nunca Es Suficiente, a song obviously influenced by the great work of Spanish 70s singer Jeannette, famous for her hit "Porque Te Vas", which seems to be taking over LaFourcade in an almost spiritual way.

Te Quiero Ver is a straight ahead pop song without much fanfare, showing the influence of the amazing Nina Persson, from The Cardigans, but things get weird on the dislocated and disjointed Tom Waits meets a Lila Down like rhumba, showing also Natalia's taste for the great art of Argentinean great singer Mercedes Sosa.

No Mas Llorar closes the record in a truly impressive way, displaying at the same time Natalia's sincere reflections about love loss and at the same time her intricate fight for taking pop into the next level, a soul searching work from start to finish, this is Mexico's soon to be greatest pop artist at her best, ambitious and daring at the same time, impossible to contain and world reaching, with the sky as her only possible limit.