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[Off The Record]
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Rick Treviño
MI SON
(VANGUARD)

Treviño grew up in Austin, son of a Tejano musician, but spoke Spanish only haltingly and made his career as a young C&W star. Now, after two CDs with the Los Lobos side project Los Super Seven, he’s released his first Latin roots album. Members of Los Lobos are here as well (the only English-language song is the David Hidalgo/Louie Perez–penned, country-ish " Long Goodbye " ), and you can hear more of what makes the Treviño Super Seven track " El que siembre su maíz " so vibrant: the understated sexiness of that pure, boyish tenor, the rhythmic acuity, the controlled shifts into emotional abandon. It’s also there in the glottal catch of Trevino’s voice against the driving syncopated chords of an army of acoustic guitars on " El gustito, " in the comic sexual frenzy of " Cupido, " and in the laugh around the edge of Treviño’s voice in the song of sexual betrayal, " Échale tierra y tápalo. " The instrumental details are right too — in the horn and piano figures of Cuban son montunos like " El tira y jala " and the title track, or the tres and guitar playing throughout. The bolero duet with Martha Gonzalez, " Vanidad, " is maybe too romantic, and the Astor Piazzolla " Vuelvo al sur " could benefit from the composer’s bandoneón rather than the synth solo here. But when Treviño sings " Donde Dios formó suo nido/Allí donde la tierra canta " ( " Where God created his nest/Is where the earth sings " ), it’s the sound of a man coming home.

BY JON GARELICK

Issue Date: May 31 - June 7, 2001





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