Bandera M¿¿a: Songs of Argentina

by Suni Paz

Overview

Wanting to properly honor the country in which she was born and raised and that inspired her musically, singer/songwriter Suni Paz decided to release an album of traditional and original folk songs that encompassed the style and sense of Argentina. With liner notes that include a biography of Paz and individual track explanations in both Spanish and English, Bandera Mia: Songs of Argentina is a compelling, poignant collection. Paz's voice has only matured with age, which gives her words a greater weight and believability, and her guitar, which warmly entwines itself into the Latin percussion, harps, reeds, and other guitars, as well as the voices of the singers themselves (Paz is often accompanied by Rafael Manriquez and son Ramiro Fauve -- who also play many of the instruments on the album -- on background vocals). And her voice is expressive enough that comprehending the words she sings isn't as important as feeling the emotion she puts into them. There are songs of love ("Hasta Otro Dia"), songs of remembrance ("Tierra Querida," "Pedro Canoero") songs of pain ("Baguala Tucumana del Mollar," "Por un Camino de Abrojos"), songs of joy or flirtation ("La Colorada," "A la Huella"), but more than the lyrics, it's the ache of melancholy and despair or the rush of happiness and delight in her voice that's understood. All together it creates a fantastic depiction of the country, from the southern plains to the large, crowded cities to the mountainous regions to the eastern area known as the Litoral, and the music sweeps and flows like the wind over the land, stopping just long enough to allow itself to be heard and remembered before it moves on. Through zamba, baguala, huella, bailecito, and tango Paz takes her listeners through her homeland, introducing them to its many different sides and leaving them trying to figure out if they can make it to Argentina anytime soon. ~ Marisa Brown

Product Details

Release Date:	06/27/2006
Label:	Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
UPC:	0093074053225
Rank:	239341

Tracks

1. Tierra Querida (Beloved Homeland)
2. Bandera M¿¿a (Flag of Mine)
3. A un Semejante (To a Kindred Spirit)
4. Iguaz¿¿
5. Baguala Tucumana del Mollar
6. Casi, Casi (Almost, Almost)
7. El Aromo (The Aromo Tree)
8. Hasta Otro D¿¿a (Until Another Day)
9. Pedro Canoero (Pedro Canoe Man)
10. Sue¿¿o de Barrilete (Kite Dream)
11. A La Huella (To the Huella)
12. Zamba Navide¿¿a (Christmas Zamba)
13. La Colorada
14. Junco Travieso (Mischievous Rascal) Vals
15. Por un Camino de Abrojos (Along a Road of Thorns)
16. Mi Caballo Perdido (My Lost Horse)
17. No Quiero Que Te Vayas (I Don't Want You to Leave)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Suni Paz   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Suni Paz   Composer
Danilo Santinelli   Composer
Atahualpa Yupanqui   Composer
Teresa Parodi   Composer