Mi Son (My Song)

From the heavily strummed opening guitar chords of “El Gustito,” I was hooked on this wonderful album. The song, which is translated as “The Likening/The Joy/The Muse,” is delivered with beautiful phrasing from confident singer Treviño, who is backed on this album by an all-star supporting cast including Los Lobos (two tracks) and a host of other notables such as Louie Perez and Raul Malo (The Mavericks). Treviño, a member of the Grammy-winning Los Super Seven, seemingly can do no wrong on a diverse range of styles featuring tunes from Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Cuba and America (the only English song is the closing country number, “The Long Goodbye,” an outtake from Los Lobos’ Will the Wolf Survive? given to Treviño). Born and raised in Austin, Texas in an Americanized environment; Treviño is just now, after becoming a father, getting in touch with his roots. Other highlights include the bouncy, sarcastic "Echale Tierra y Tapalo" (Cover it Up), a tale about a woman cheating on her man with the dentist; a duet with Super Seven member Ruben Ramos; and the simply beautiful "Vuelvo al Sur" (Return to the South), an Astor Piazolla and Fernando Solanos tribute. I look forward to spinning this mood-inducing disc many times down the road. Recommended.