Quetzal Worksongs

Latin Beat Magazine, Sept, 2003 by Jesse Varela

(Vanguard)

Chicano groovers Quetzal is a hard working bunch that fuses Mexican folk music with diverse contemporary influences. Led by guitarist Quetzal Flores and featuring Marta González on lead vocals, the band has amassed a large following across the country, playing at colleges, cultural centers and countless benefits. Worksongs is their second effort for Vanguard Records and represents thematically an ode to working people. Steve Berlin of Los Lobos is the producer of this electronic mosaic of Chicano New Song that sonically refries Trad-Mex to a new plateau. Textures challenge the ear and draw the listener into a trance. The music is a pretty cool ride of neo-traditionalist ideas. Check out Planta De Los Piés:the tune opens with a bass and drum vamp that introduces a medium slow huapango implied by the jarana, a small folk guitar from Veracruz. Rocio Marrón's melancholy violin ushers in the blue-hazed voices of Marta and Gabriel González. The angular nature of the back beats, in counterpoint with the jarana, creates a robotic swing that bridges the acoustic past with the electric present. As Marta sings in duet with Gabriel, they create an intoxicating feeling of jarocho impressionism. Aliméntate gets a rockified Cuban charanga sensibility. Luna Sol is a rhythmically infectious cumbia that allows the vocalists to sing with unbridled enthusiasm. Overall, there's something to be said for Quetzal's jarana being at the forefront on this album, as Berlin did not ignore or relegate this folk instrument to the background. It is a principal melodic voice that allows its lower ukulele-esque timbre to prominently articulate melodies and background arpeggios. Worksongs is Quetzal's best production to date. Several songs hold crossover potential as the personalization of these pieces and the way Quetzal presents them gives the album its special flavor and corazón.