Since Nashville’s eclectic Mavericks were cut loose from MCA, which released their last studio album, Trampoline, in 1998, the band’s fans have been wondering, “Now what?” According to various members, the band is currently on an open-ended hiatus, and may never perform again. Bassist Robert Reynolds and keyboardist Jerry Dale McFadden have been busy with Swag, while singer Raul Malo contributed vocals to a couple of tracks on Canto, the sophomore album by all-star Latin-roots collective Los Super Seven.
On his solo debut Today, Malo continues to explore a variety of Latin styles, as well as cocktail jazz, Tin Pan Alley songcraft, and some Mavericks-like country-pop. Malo and Los Lobos saxophonist Steve Berlin produced the album, which was co-produced and arranged by pianist Alberto Salas. (Berlin and Salas also worked on Canto.)
Though Malo’s powerful tenor remains wondrously engaging, Today is a spotty effort. About half the album works splendidly, but the disc sputters on cuts where the groove or the melody gets a bit thin. Malo co-wrote 11 of the 12 tracks, the sole cover a surprisingly flat version of “Takes Two To Tango”. Recruiting country siren Shelby Lynne to duet on this rendition of the Ray Charles/Betty Carter number seems a good idea on paper, but in execution the two singers never catch fire.
Other tracks are more rewarding. The title cut, brimming with punchy horns and a rump-shaking vibe, serves as a potent antidote to the saccharine Ricky Martin/J. Lo brand of Latin beats. “Since When” is the polar opposite, a gorgeous torch ballad worthy of Tony Bennett.
The highlight is “Ocho Versos”, one of four tunes sung in Spanish. Malo, a Miami native whose parents fled Cuba in the 1960s, rarely incorporates political commentary into his compositions, but this is an exception. The opening and closing verses are identical, translating to: “When a heart truly loves/It’s like a fire you can’t put out/Like the voice of a nation/When it speaks it will be heard.”
