Uniting A Wide Array Of Music Genres & Fans, The GRAMMY, CMA & ACM Winning Country, Americana, and Tejano Infused Rock & Roll Band Celebrates As Their First Spanish Language Album “EN ESPAÑOL” Debuts At #1 On Billboard’s “Latin Pop Albums” Chart
“Best New Music/Editor’s Choice: a career milestone... this album is fantastic...a show-stopping
Spanish-language album... a celebration of the diverse musical landscape of Latin America and a high-water
mark for the band. Even if you’re not fluent in Spanish, the rhythms, phrasing, and melodies are universal... A
vibrant, sit-up-and-take-notice album... i t's superb... jaw dropping...as breathtaking as it gets... with mighty
musicianship to get you out of your seat, the band shows that they are just as potent in another language. ...Raul
Malo has one of the greatest voices, period in American Music... and embraces his Latin roots to thrilling results”
(See detailed critical praise below)
“Today, we woke up to the unbelievable news... Our first #1, on Billboard’s Latin Pop chart! To have our first-ever Spanish album debut at #1 is something so special that I can’t accurately describe this feeling. Like we said, unbelievable! Thank you everyone!”
– Raul Malo of The Mavericks
The Band Has Also Shared Another Official Performance Video From The Album With The Release Of “La Sitiera” – Which Rolling Stone Praised as “a thunderous, rock and roll rendition of Omara Portuondo’s classic bolero with the Buena Vista Social Club”
New Stand-Out Feature Profiles Also Include Interviews With Rolling Stone Mexico, A Sunday Arts Cover Story From The San Diego Union-Tribune, And CBS News Miami: “The Mavericks' Crisscrossing Musical Boundaries With 'En Español”
...And As One Of The Most Beloved Live Touring Bands In The Country, The Mavericks Are Looking Forward To A September 22 Return To The Stage As One Of The Just-Announced First Artists Set To Record Episodes For The New Season Of AUSTIN CITY LIMITS On PBS
Expanded Rave Reviews For The Mavericks’ “En Español"
“The Best Albums Out August 21: The Mavericks have a really special new album called ‘En Espanol’ This record is a real milestone for them (Robin Hilton). ...All I can do is enthuse, as Raul Malo has one of the greatest voices, period in American Music, so often compared to Roy Orbison, but I think in singing these songs, we hear the root of his singing style so much more clearly. (Ann Powers)... Yeah, The record is REALLY cool in that there are so many different styles nodding toward various Latin American musical traditions – there are polkas & waltzes from the U.S./Mexican border, ‘Recuerdos’ is basically a big band bolero with Afro-Caribbean/Cuban influences... Raul Malo and The Mavericks bring out a lot of things to talk about – mostly just great music and this record is fantastic (Felix Contreras)”
-NPR MUSIC (All Songs Considered)
“The Mavericks Are Back, This Time 'En Español' - "Where I'm at today in my life, I have learned how to become extremely proud of who I am and where I come from and the people that have raised me and the people that were instrumental in my life ..And so with an opportunity like this record, I've got to tell you, it is really close to my heart, because I feel like it's a full circle moment for me and my family (Eddie Perez)...In our own little way, if we could get somebody that perhaps is on the fence on issues and hears us singing in Spanish and perhaps reminds them of the beautiful cultures that make up what this country is trying to be and what it should be, so be it," Raul Malo says.... And if listeners are reminded that the Latin American lineage The Mavericks explore is part of American roots music, that's not such a bad outcome either."
– NPR MORNING EDITION
“RS Country & RS Latin, Best New Music Picks: Grammy-winning country-rockers The Mavericks deliver a show-stopping Spanish-language album... En Español is proof that doing what comes naturally pays the greatest dividends. Singer Raul Malo embraces his Latin roots in the band’s first Spanish-language record to thrilling results. Even when he’s feeling bittersweet, Malo captivates on ‘Recuerdos’-an undeniable mid-tempo groove that finds the band reveling in the ashes left behind after a romance burns out... In their latest single, the frontman delivers a thunderous, rock and roll rendition of Omara Portuondo’s classic bolero with the Buena Vista Social Club, ‘La Sitiera’ — outfitted with authentic island tumbao.”
– ROLLING STONE
“FOUR STARS /Editor’s Choice - More than most of their peers in Nashville, the Mavericks have never been afraid to step off the beaten path and do something out of the ordinary, and that's never been more true than on En Español, a straight-up Latin album. Even more than on most of their albums, En Español is a showcase for the vocal stylings of Raul Malo, and on that score it's superb. Immersing himself in a variety of Mexican and Cuban styles, he's at the top of his game here, sounding passionate and fully invested in the material while never sending his delivery over the top, and his phrasing and accents honor the music without dulling the impact of his personality. He makes these songs sound like they were written for him... and he also wrote or co-wrote five tracks that blend with the standards and traditional numbers like a charm. ..the Mavericks have always been more concerned with following their muse rather than living up to anyone's expectations. En Español is adventurous and crafted with heart and skill, and that's what they've always done best.”
– ALL MUSIC
“The Mavericks Celebrate Their Roots [& Treat Us] on ‘En Español’... stretching out, becoming more creatively adventurous and, as a result, more exciting than at any time in their long career. En Español takes us on a journey that begins and ends in Malo’s parents’ homeland of Cuba, and travels through Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Spain, and even France. Seven of the 12 tracks are traditional Latin standards, while five are originals written or co-penned by Malo. The opener sets the tone with Malo’s tremolo-heavy guitar introducing “La Sitiera,”...It’s stunning in its expansiveness; Morricone meets Spector. It’s a testament to Malo’s gift as both a writer and listener that each original sounds as if It can confidently join the ranks of the greats. Ultimately, En Español is a celebration of the diverse musical landscape of Latin America and The Mavericks’ place in it. It’s also a high-water mark for a band that has spent the last few years finding new avenues to explore. Even if you’re not fluent in Spanish, the rhythms, phrasing, and melodies contained on En Español are universal. At 30-plus years into their career, The Mavericks, much to our benefit, sound as if they’re having the time of their lives.”
– NO DEPRESSION
“Raul Malo and the Mavericks Go 'En Español' on Their New Genre-Bending LP - This vibrant, sit-up-and-take-notice album has tunes that should bring the band's country and rock fans easily over the border. But the Mavericks also do a lot of genre-melding, taking original and classic Latin songs and making them their own using everything from vintage rock to mariachi. ...[and]the deep, passionate vocals of Malo, whose singing can bring to mind Roy Orbison or classic male crooners like Elvis Presley... What may catch the ear and heart of country fans is the deep emotional palette of the songs... Though Malo is Cuban-American and the lyrics are all in Spanish, the music certainly has a distinctive rock pedigree. The Mavericks demonstrate the truth in their band's name here more than ever, though the members have succeeded in making new music seem familiar and right at home in America, a melting pot of a country.”
– Pop Matters
“The Mavericks have already proven that they can effortlessly bound across genres ...[Now], the band shows that they are just as potent in another language. En Espanol is an all-Spanish album, but one that finds the band both playing to their strengths and embarking on exciting new territory.”
– American Songwriter
“The Mavericks’ all-Spanish album, ‘En Español,’ seeks to uplift and unify: ‘Music can help break down walls’... The 12-song “En Español” is indeed a job well done, as its exemplary musicianship, thematic cohesion and unmistakably heartfelt delivery attest. The album abounds with poignant odes to love lost, yearned for, and won.... Throughout the album, The Mavericks’ versions of songs previously recorded by various Latin music stars sound both reverent and imbued with the band’s distinctive artistic DNA.”
– San Diego Union Tribune
“The Mavericks’ Raul Malo Says New Album ‘En Espanol’ Aims to Make the World Feel a Little Smaller...
The Mavericks leader doesn't consider the band's new album a political statement -- but, he admits with a laugh, their timing is impeccable.”
– TheBoot.com/TasteOfCountry
“Passionate...jaw dropping...as breathtaking as it gets.. goes to show how music travels and can be interpreted into different cultures. This isn't just another Mavericks album, instead THIS IS The Mavericks.
A multicultural, awe-inspiring band.”
– Country in the UK
“Since they formed, The Mavericks have done a great deal. The rocking country outfit... won Grammys and CMA Awards and earned gold and platinum records... and they’ve carried on making music on their terms...One thing The Mavericks [hadn’t] done just yet is release an album in Spanish, a language integral to frontman Raul Malo’s identity. It’s the language of his family... It’s the language sung in much of the music he loved as a youngster... Now, Friday marks The Mavericks’ first Spanish-language release, aptly titled En Español... ‘In many ways, when you sing in Spanish or a different language, you can maybe get somebody to think of the world a little differently,’ Malo tells the Scene ‘Music sometimes works as a catalyst for hope and harmony. With everything that’s going on, it didn’t seem too crazy an idea to release this kind of record.”
– Nashville Scene
“Since reuniting in 2012, the Mavericks have sprinkled their country music sets with songs in Spanish. Boot-scooting fans didn’t mind a lick and kept on dancing... Maybe that’s why the Mavericks’ new album ‘En Español,’ which includes a cameo performance from Flaco Jimenez, feels like such a no-brainer... For the Cuban American Malo, the new record was as natural as breathing. So was working with Flaco Jimenez again. The pairing worked brilliantly in 1995 for the Mavericks’ hit ‘All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down...‘That was an amazing combination, two worlds colliding seamlessly,’ Malo said. ‘It’s one of our biggest songs. It closes our shows. When we recorded that with Flaco, it sent the Mavericks on this (all-Spanish) path. It was a life-changing song... Fast forward to this moment, and we had to have Flaco on this Spanish record... It was on from the first beat... what a magical afternoon. The vibe was still there... It really was a special moment and brings this journey full circle for me."
– San Antonio Express News