ALBUM REVIEW: The Mavericks Reach New Heights on ‘Moon & Stars’

The Mavericks just keep getting better. There’s an intimate, organic quality to their music that pulls listeners in immediately, allowing them to dwell in the luscious harmonies, the sumptuous instrumentation, and the ingenious songwriting of the band. Moon & Stars launches these qualities into the sonic stratosphere.

The album opens with the spaciously unfurling mediation on the ravages of aging and loss, “The Years Will Not Be Kind,” with accordion, fiddle, and guitars weaving around one another to create lush layers of sound that evoke the singer Raul Malo’s pensive mood. Wailing horns and Nicole Atkins’ soaring vocals drive the propulsive juke joint rocker on “Live Close By (Visit Often),” while Sierra Ferrell’s dreamy harmonies blend seamlessly over a Cuban groove on the atmospheric title track.

Crunchy guitars ride under the ’70s R&B-inflected anthem “Look Around You,” which features Maggie Rose’s swaying harmonies playing call and response to Malo’s textured lead vocals. Max Abrams’ towering saxophone and Malo’s velvety vocals create a moody ambience straight from a dimly lit club on the minor-chord, jazz-inflected “Here You Come Again,” and surf guitar and Hawaiian rhythms create a bright, laid-back pop sound on “A Guitar and a Bottle of Wine.”

The band channels the Righteous Brothers and Roy Orbison on the shimmering “And We Dance,” while fiddles lead “Overnight Success” on a scampering, whirling dance across the floor of a Louisiana roadhouse. The album closes with the jangly Beatles-esque “Turn Yourself Around.”

Every song on Moon & Stars is a perfect little gem, reflecting the brilliance of The Mavericks’ music. It’s one of the best albums of the year so far.

The Mavericks’ Moon & Stars was released on May 17 via Mono Mundo Recordings and Thirty Tigers.