Luis Cano – Ahora Van Las Mias (Album Review)

He describes his role in the field of arts as simply the act of singing, being a way to fill his soul with emotions made into song. Meet Luis Cano, a musician who hails from Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua in Mexico. He is a budding artist whose musical journey began against the backdrop of norteño music in the Northern part of Mexico, in the zeitgeist of his upbringing in the 80s. It captured him from a young age, and ever since then, the vibrant rhythms and emotive melodies have been the cornerstone for his passion for music.

Infused with a diverse range of influences spanning anywhere from Mariachi music to Hard Rock, Luis Cano’s music aims to resonate with a soulful blend of a crooner’s sound with the authentic Mariachi style. Some may even quip that this new sound is the perfect blend of Mariachi, Country and other associated genres, guided by an insatiable curiosity and a desire to craft an authentic sound.

This has all culminated in his debut album, titled Ahora Van Las Mias! (translated to It’s My Turn Now) In which he’s made history as the first solo artist to produce a full-length English Mariachi album.

The album definitely presents itself as virtuoso reimaginings of songs that should be known to most, classics such as ‘Georgia On My Mind’, ‘Fly Me To The Moon’, ‘All of Me’ and ‘How Deep Is Your Love’. The instrumentation takes the structure of these songs and puts them within the headspace of Mariachi cross-genre interpretations, with a very high standard in terms of arrangement as well as mastering. Luis Cano’s voice shines in every track within the album, with a smooth croon that’s expected, but also, an extremely clean tone when it comes to his vocals. This makes it where it’s honestly a delight to listen to any phrase or melody he sings.

The fusion of genres and the time period of the songs within this album actually takes me back to a lot of vintage Malay and Filipino songs made in the 60s. They too, had the shared vision of taking the slight jazz influence of pure ‘easy listening’ songs and adding their own native spin to it. The accordion would be ascribed to Malay musical traditions, and the horns reminiscent of the Filipino take on it- which has similarities to the music of Mexico as well, due to shared colonization and frankly, the talent of each of their natives.

In some instances, the tracks within this release take on a slight surf-rock and jazz infusion ala P. Ramlee, with songs like ‘Neon Moon’ and ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’. As much as this is an innovative release, I think it’s a beautiful testament to history, and this is coming from someone who typically has disdain for acts that borrow too heavily from the past. Luis Cano’s artistry shines beyond any time-categorization.

There are also some Spanish-medium songs such as ‘A Mi Manera’ and ‘La Mia Via’, which I truly enjoy. Hearing Luis’ voice in these tracks provides the listener with an authentic and beautiful experience, as his voice transforms- this time, with a warmer croon, one closer to the heart. In an interesting turn of events, he also attempts to tackle on the Japanese version of the Sinatra hit ‘My Way’… and he still excels at singing the lyrics. Luis Cano is truly a multifaceted musician.

I don’t hear any flaws with this release, honestly. It was very well done and superbly arranged, with lots of character and beauty within the vocals and song choices. It sounded authentic and competent. Well done.

SCORE/Outstanding: For a debut album, Ahora Van Las Mias exceeded my expectations with wonderful vocal work on the artist’s end and wonderful renditions of well-known and slightly more obscure songs. It is a step ahead in the world of ‘world fusion’ genres, exposing an audience to a non-Anglocentric music world with class and expertise.

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