Lagrimas Mexicanas

iTunes Review

Brazilian singer/songwriter, percussionist, and guitarist Vinícius Cantuária worked in a variety of idioms in his native land before he headed to New York in the ‘90s. Guitarist Bill Frisell has worked in countless settings, but he’s best known for fusing jazz, folk, blues, and country into a sound often referred to as Americana. The two have collaborated on several releases: Cantuária’s Tucumá, Vinícius and Horse and Fish, and Frisell’s The Intercontinentals. On 2011’s Lagrimas Mexicanas, the duo focuses on their mellow side. Many of the album’s songs are inspired by Cantuária’s encounter with New York City’s rich and varied Latino community. The Brazilian has an appealing, easy-going voice and here he sings in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. “Mi Declaración” has a vocal melody that evokes a bolero or a balada and the tune works nicely as it is layered over delicate guitars and subtle ambient colorings. Like a number of pieces by Frisell, “El Camino” evokes a road movie, and “Forinfas,” the sort of old-timey song that Caetano Veloso — who recorded Cantuária’s “Lua e Estrela”— might sing, closes this pleasing album.