Songs from Mexico

It would be easy to write off Yuly Tovar as merely the 2012 winner of Mexican nationwide talent show, Graba Tu Talento (Record Your Talent). But, as this 16-track debut amply demonstrates, hers is a voice that goes beyond mainstream point-scoring. She imbues her performances with feeling, is precise in her phrasing, captures the quintessential plaintive tones of Mexican bolero – and, as she proves in the climactic bars of ‘Tus Desprecios’, can certainly hold a note. Also, rather than reworking dead-cert standards, Tovar performs songs specially written for her by José Angel Romero.

Love, betrayal, the end of love, reconciliation are the classic themes of her chosen genres – which include ballads, norteños and bandas – with occasional asides on patriotism and roots. The unassuming album title, Songs from Mexico, is a lot blander than the contents of the package. In the end, however, I'm not sure anything really new is being offered here. Rather, this is proof that traditional music is in good health south of the Río Bravo, with new talents adding to the repertoire.