Accompanied by the vibrant music of the Love Notes 24-piece orchestra, La Marisoul is about to debut her solo album, La Marisoul and The Love Notes Orchestra Vol. 1. The romantic sounds of boleros, and vintage melodies made famous in the 50s, and 60s, evoke the nostalgia of yesteryear as Marisoul makes a grand entrance in the first volume of a two-part series that sets the stage for what’s to come.
Produced by La Marisoul, the album is a love note in memory of her father. In the press release about this album she explains, “This is a Love note to my father. Lalo, as they called my dad, was a charismatic, stylish, travieso. A lover of life, love and music – a bohemio! I remember he’d tell me how happy it would make him to one day hear me sing our favorite boleros in orchestra style, as Daniel Santos and Toña La Negra. We loved listening to boleros from this era. Finally this year I had the opportunity to work with a 24-piece orchestra and have fun with new arrangements! It felt like this was becoming something very special, so we decided to have the event recorded. The result y la magia was clear, this was that, a Love Note to the world and to my father. I hope you enjoy these classics as much as we did, with love y cariño siempre.”
La Marisoul and the Love Notes Orchestra Vol. 1 includes seven tracks, with the opener as an extended track featuring “Como Fue.” The first single and video from the album is “Un Telegrama” a song by brothers Gregorio and Alfredo Garcia Segura, music composers from Cartagena, Murcia in Spain. Back in the day, “Un Telegrama” became popular when Ana Nora Escobar from Santiago de Chile, known artistically as Monna Bell, made it a hit after performing it for the first time at the 1st Annual Benidorm International Song Festival in 1959. There’s no doubt this reinterpretation by La Marisoul will put it back on the charts once again.
These vintage selections don’t steer away from love that turns to heartbreak, love that turns bitter, unreciprocated love and love for those seeking it in desperation.
These new interpretations of classics “Mar y cielo,” “Amar y vivir,” “Bonita,” “Urge,” “Angelitos Negros,” and “Como fue,” are such a wonderful way to connect intergenerationally because many of us most likely heard these songs for the first time on vinyl, or on the radio, thanks to our parents or grandparents. It’s hard not to reminisce about the past when hearing La Marisoul belt out powerful and bittersweet phrases like… “Urge / Una persona que me arrulle entre sus brazos / A quien contarle de mis triunfos y fracasos / Que me comprenda y me quite de sufrir.”
To be honest, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as I began listening to La Marisoul’s new album. It was here in Chicago, in 2010 to be exact, that Richard Morales (event organizer and Kombi Chicago co-founder) was excitedly telling me about a singer he had just heard who had the most amazing voice. “I’m telling you, this singer’s voice…” and on and on he went as proceeded to tell me all about La Santa Cecilia. He was thinking of bringing them to Chicago for the first time and he wanted me to hear them. He played a CD and I also remember thinking, “Wow, who are they?!” That year at Green Dolphin, as part of the World Music Festival, I finally had the pleasure of hearing La Marisoul’s voice as part of La Santa Cecilia and I was blown away.
Hearing La Marisoul take her music to another level as she embarks on her solo career, well, it is one of the very few joyful things 2020 has brought us. It’s inspiring and she deserves all the accolades for this new project.
About La Marisoul
- Along with La Santa Cecilia, La Marisoul has performed in some of the most iconic venues in the United States such as The Hollywood Bowl and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
- As a solo artist she has archived notable collaborations with some of the most renowned names in the industry such as Elvis Costello and The Roots on their “Wise up Ghost” album (2013) and had the chance to perform with them on the Jimmy Fallon Show which was an exceptional honor for her.
- In 2018 she was a part of the ‘Joni Mitchell Tribute’ at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion alongside other performers such as; Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Graham Nash, Chaka Khan, Los Lobos and Seal.
- On 22 March 2019, she was part of the ‘The Work and Music of Yoko Ono’ tribute at LA Walt Disney Hall with The Los Angeles Philharmonic.
- La Marisoul has made acting appearances in; The Bridge (2013), Artbound Presents: Studio A (2013) and Mavericks (2015).
- She was also featured as a guest performer on Pepe Aguilar’s MTV Unplugged, which turned out to be the first Unplugged by a Ranchero artist.