Lola

Carrie Rodriguez first got noticed when fiddling and singing with Chip ‘Wild Thing’ Taylor. They made beautiful music together before Rodriguez set off on a solo career that has seen her bracketed as ‘Americana’. The last time I witnessed her in concert she encored with a Mexican song that she mentioned her grandmother taught her. It was gorgeous, and I hoped she would pursue that path. She has; on an album named in homage to the late, great Mexican singer Lola Beltran, she sings songs from Mexican music's golden era alongside originals. Her voice is at its most seductive and moving when singing standards such as ‘Perfidia’ and ‘Si No Ti Vas’ while her wry songs – sung in English – suggest a weariness with both Texan bigots and the country music industry that she sometimes finds herself dealing with. The excellent band features Bill Frissell's electric guitar against a largely acoustic setting while Raúl Malo of The Mavericks lends his rich vocal harmony to ‘Perfidia’. Lola is a heavenly slice of Tex-Mex country soul.