Juan Gabriel - El Mexico Que Se Nos Fue

For Sheltered Non-Hispanics - An good introduction to Mexico

This was one of the first Mexican CDs I heard. My girlfriend from Michoacan had loaned it to me shortly after we had both watched ceremonies for the Virgin of Guadelupe on Univision. That broadcast contained some of the most intense and committed performances I had ever witnessed. At the shows peak, when an attractive young lady wrapped up in a marichi uniform and gargantuan hat, stepped up to sing what seemed to me to be a kind of angular "modern" mariachi, it was as if pre-1940 art music idioms had found popular currency and validity again. I was hungry for more of this experience and Juan Gabriel's CD was the closest thing on hand.

If, like me, you don't understand Spanish and you don't have a clue about Mexican culture except through highbrow novels and movies, you will probably tend to react to the purely musical aspects of the disc. In this aspect, El Mexico Que Se Nos Fue contains some terrific moments, of which the first track affords the most memorable. Not a standard Mariachi, it employs the cello as well as the expected violins and trumpets. The (very real sounding) strings dart and trill around Juan Gabriel's voice, which has a rawness to it not found in the majority of semi-operatic mariachi voices. The form of the piece is completely unexpected, containing a brief instrumental interlude that concludes with a drawn-out suspension that you would expect to find in a Mahler symphony. The other mariachi-oriented tracks (2,6,8) offer similar delights. The rest of the album is in a more "folkish" setting with unsettling combinations of wind instruments providing most of the melodic counterpoint while the form is kept mostly to the basics. These songs really require the lyric sheet to be fully appreciated, but as I slowly muddled thru the translation I was rewarded with socially conscious and even sarcastic turns of phrase (although Gabriel's facile sarcasm is not the fine wine that I am used to). The theme throughout the album is a heartfelt appeal to return both physically and spiritually to the Mexico that once was. This is presented both by odes to the beauty of conservative rural life and, to a lesser extent, by anti-western, anti-gringo diatribes.

It is important to note that this disc is basically a kind of neo-classical pop based on traditional Mexican styles, not an attempt to duplicate these stlyes. It is also not what to expect from Juan Gabriel, who sings as much pure pop as he does this stuff. It's also really an EP, by US standards- barely a half-hour of music. However, the majority of the songs are intriguing, if not guilelessly beautiful and it will surely whet the appetites of music fans for more of Mexico. May 12, 2003

2nd review

I come back to re-review this cd. this cd is an excellent. It is very mexican and the lyrics still make sense today. "La herencia" is a kick butt sarcastic song!!!!!! "El Mexico que se nos fue" says : En vez de mirarse a ellos mismos mejor ven la television! "Cancion 187" rings true still today about immigration. All in all is Juan Gabriel at his best. 5 stars plus!!! November 16, 2002

Now THIS is Mexican

Those yearning for the good old Mexican sound from Juan Gabriel, Mexico's international pop star, should lend an ear to this CD. The thematic album is backdropped by a variety of excellently rendered regional sounds. Personal advice about the consequences of separation take a light tone in "Juan y Maria," and the tongue-in-cheek "La Herencia." The underlying message about trying to find work in the US in "Cancion 187" is not as light as the song would appear at first listen, and "El Mexico que se Nos Fue" shows a yearning for the olden days. This is good music. The lyrics are included in an attractive insert. March 31, 2002

...

... The cd IS NOT something he had done before. It's not like he is going back to his roots. This cd is not a traditional mariachi cd but rather a cd perspective of mexican folklore. This cd is excellent and for ANYONE wanting to hear more on mexico's different music styles this one is a good one to pick up. January 15, 2001

"Back to my roots" comeback attempt.

Apparently trying to save face after the disappointing sales of his 1994 pop album "Gracias Por Esperar," Gabriel borrowed a page from Hank Williams Jr.'s playbook and tried to cash in on wrapping himself in the (Mexican) flag with a CD replete with nostalgia, pastoral romanticism and a little xenophobia. Though Gabriel claimed to really believe his I-can't-stand-gringos rhetoric, it's important to remember he'd had troubles with the IRS not too long before. His subsequent willingness to accept corporate sponsorship from Sears Roebuck also raised questions about his sincerity. March 31, 1999

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