Similar Artists The Mavericks

Artist History As the first notes of Today jolt the senses alive, it is clear that Raul Malo has wandered far and wide on this recording. "It's been a long time coming," explains Malo. "But this album really captures who I am." Shaded with the rhythms of the tropics and the universal theme of love lost and redeemed, the album is as diverse as Malo himself. As the title track's shifting rhythms and frenetic Latin-tinged energy give way to the bittersweet yet driving "Every Little Thing," the album's striking synthesis starts to take shape. Malo's vision runs deep through the twelve songs, bringing together influences as diverse as Classic Country, sixties Lounge Pop, Western Swing, and a pervasive Latin beat that unites the album so naturally you wonder why you've never heard anything quite like it. Malo's uncanny Pop sensibility seems to transcend time and place, unmistakably modern yet recalling an era when melody was offered proudly, without apology. The album's four songs in Spanish are the strongest links to Malo's Cuban-American heritage and Miami upbringing, ranging from the lilting "Ya Tu Veras," to the plaintive "De Ti Me Olvidare" and the buoyant "Ochos Versos." Malo touches on the lovelorn with "I See You" and the stunning ballad "Let's Not Say Goodbye." A duet with Shelby Lynne is the highlight of the witty rave-up "It Takes Two To Tango," revisiting this classic hit with charming abandon. The graceful artistry of Today is the dramatic rebirth of an artist unafraid to go for the original and sublime, a statement of total confidence borne from the winding path of a life dedicated to music. Raul Malo has enjoyed success as a recording artist. With his group the Mavericks, he sold over two million records and released four Top 30 Country singles and found himself at the top of the Nashville machine. The Mavericks began in Miami and quickly developed a sizable following surprising Punk Rock clubgoers with their hard Country sound, as local Country bars booked only cover bands. Their eponymous 1990 debut album attracted attention in Nashville, and following a showcase in May of 1990, the group was signed and recorded From Hell to Paradise for MCA. The album garnered critical acclaim but scant attention from Country radio, and in 1993 the band returned to the studio to record the songs that would become their platinum selling breakthrough, this time, writing with collaborators and creating a more streamlined and focused work. What a Crying Shame introduced the world to the Mavericks with the title track reaching the Top 40, quickly followed by hits "O What a Thrill" and "There Goes My Heart." The band were 1994 ACM winners for "Top New Vocal Group" and "Top Vocal Group" and CMA’s "Vocal Group of the Year" twice straight in 1995 and 1996. Their videos were among the most requested, and they were playing for arena sized audiences. The following album, Music for All Occasions, was released in 1995, and the single "Here Comes the Rain Again" went on to win that year's Grammy® for "Best Country Song." Like its predecessor, the album was a commercial success, and Raul Malo was on top of the world, the lead singer of the hottest band in Nashville. While he had reached the pinnacle of Contemporary Country music, Malo's tastes ran far beyond the genre's stylistic straitjacket. "My influences are as varied as music itself," he explains. Growing up in Miami, his house was a melting pot of musical styles, ranging from the Latin music of his Cuban-born father to the more structured repertoire of his mother, a Classical pianist. "They taught me to listen to music without prejudice," says Malo, who was exposed to the great singers of their day—artists like Sinatra, Elvis, Tony Bennett, Sam Cooke. "But at the same time," he continues, "they were able to respect my records, even stuff like The Clash or the Sex Pistols." In addition, the city's international flavor indoctrinated Malo into the rhythms of Salsa, Soca, Samba and the city's Spanish language and Latin-influenced music styles. The public's first major glimpse of Malo outside the confines of his Country stardom was in the celebration of Latin American artists that was Los Super Seven's Canto, released in 2001. Joining with members of Los Lobos and Ozomatli, Malo's lead-off track "Siboney" announced Malo's new direction, and the album went on to garner major attention, including a Malo-fronted performance on the Tonight Show. Following the sessions, Malo got to work with Los Super Seven producer Steve Berlin (also of Los Lobos) and set about creating Today. "When you have had a degree of success, it takes a conscious decision to start something new," says Malo. "But the music is really the reason to do it, and for that reason this feels like a triumph, like a coming out, a link to the things that make music universal." Indeed, from the energetic Soca of the title track to the earnestness of "Let's Not Say Goodbye" and the ebullient wit of "I Said I Love You," Malo effortlessly weaves a musical document that is at once coherent and yet without analogue. Through a decade of work, Malo's gifted and soaring voice has been a constant highlight, and on Today, this voice is the focal point. Holding court with a new freedom and confidence, this voice is Raul Malo's own.

Albums Today

Location Nashville, TN - USA

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