La Llorona

After reading all the rave reviews for the past few years I decided to break down and get this CD. The art cover closed the deal. I was even more impressed to find out she did it. Where to begin describing something so unique and different? There is only one Lhasa de Sala, there is no mold so they'll be no copies. The only voices I've heard that remind me of hers are Linda Ronstandt on her excursions into Espanol and Edith Piaf. Listen to the opening track, "De Cara a la Pared" as she hauntingly invites you into her own cabaret, joining in as though her voice is a violin, softly, seductively enticing the listener entry into her world. The comparisons to the two above mentioned artists stop there and really do no justice to her brand of music created with Yves Desprosiers. This is really a collaboration as Desprosiers pens many of the songs with her and plays no less than eight instruments! He also is the producer. Of course the focus is the voice of Lhasa but the guitar and acordian...Read more

Some of Lhasa's songs on "La Llorona" sound like they could have come from a Parisian (or Montréal) bistro as easily as from Mexico. Some songs feature accordion and klezmer. Lhasa de Sela is a Mexican-American who lived in Montréal until recently. She grew up travelling across Mexico and the United States in a schoolbus.

"La Llorona" (the Wailing Woman) is the name of a legendary Mexican woman who threw her children into the river in her anger and jealousy. The villagers found her dead as well the next morning, and her ghost continued to roam the earth, wailing for her lost children. That title is appropriate enough for this splendid, unexpected collection of songs (only three are not original).

Lhasa's voice is haunting, much like the mythical wail of "La Llorona." There is an urgency and passion in her singing. My favourite song has to be "De cara a la pared," a haunting waltz with unusual sound effects (rain, splashing, musical saw). I heard Lhasa for the first...Read more

I never waste my time writing reviews, but this is well worth it. Lhasa de Sella not only has talent, but also the insight to make it flourish in meaningful ways. When I hear her, I cannot but wonder why mediocre pop artists make it to the top of the charts in both Spanish and English and she remains practically unknown.

Esta muchacha tiene carisma, tiene talento y en su arte hay profundidad. Sin lugar a dudas, vale la pena no solo oir su música, sino también vibrar con ella, comprenderla como se comprende a un amigo. Lo único que lamento es que la mediocridad reine en los medios hispanos de Estados Unidos y otras partes del mundo y que no se transmita en ellos esta voz melodiosa que me tiene a mi a mis amigos bailando de regocijo.