Raul Malo

No show, but listen to his entire album released three days ago free. LINK

Light posting, because I just got back from Malo's concert in Vegas. Only had to spend $60+ in gas for a free concert. He'll be at the Coach House on Saturday and in Cabazon on Sunday, for $20 + the Ticketmaster fee.

So here's the freebie. Listen to his entire album here at CMT. Don't know how long it will last.

For those of you unfamiliar, Raul Malo is the former front man of the Mavericks, and has one of the great voices in all of music. Seeing him live for the first time, I was ready for his incredible range, but I was surprised by the power of his voice. His version of Suspicion rivaled the original, and the orignal singer too. I was impressed too by Robert Chevrier on piano. On a couple of numbers, Malo was singing nuevo country while Chevrier backed him with something that sounded a lot like Rachmaninoff. Sounds strange, but it really worked.

And finally, someone has done a great version of Feels Like Home. I've heard versions by Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, but nothing before ever equalled the lyrics from Randy Newman's Faust. Listen to it on the CMT site. It's one of the great love songs.

Update: From Eric Alterman's review of the new album: "A beautiful record, through and through. If you don’t like it, you’re a bad person."

A medley of love songs: