Back to life, back to reality. One week in Mexico was the much-needed break from 2020 that I needed. Tucked away at an all-inclusive resort that was 60% empty and following more rigid COVID protocols than I’ve seen here in the US, I felt safe and relaxed for the first time in months. Ever the musical anthropologist, I turned to a fellow Duranie (@calduranie) to guide me through some Mexican pop while chilling by the pool.
I’ve always enjoyed music in different languages but hearing these songs in Mexico brought them to life in a way I didn’t expect. One artist, Natalia Lafourcade, really caught my ears and the breadth of her music covers a lot of territory – all interesting. My Spanish isn’t very good (working on it) so I rarely made sense of the lyrics but the arrangements and the emotions of the delivery brought each song to life for me. I think music does that better than any other art form but I am, of course, biased.
Maybe these songs make more sense when enjoying a mezcal-rita watching whales frolic in the blue water but Lily really curated a perfect playlist for someone getting into the shallow end of the rich musical tapestry of Mexico. I so enjoyed it that I asked her if I could share it with the Daily Duranie family and here it is. Disfrutar de la musica!