Lila Downs

Today was a day of everyday markets. Today was a day of sipping Oaxaca hot chocolate and dipping airy sweet bread in it. Today was a day of city squares where people gather as if it were an extension of their living room. Today was a day of sitting on a crowded bench at a street food stand and enjoying a memela. Today was a day of mezcal that tasted of agave and earth in the best way possible. Today was a day of learning of the Oaxaca state I have yet to see and wondering when I’ll get a chance to explore lesser known Oaxacas. Today was a day of wishing yet again that I had more time. Today was day of thinking, “I’ll stay another day.” Today was a day of reminiscing about a year ago today in Oaxaca when I was consumed by the energy of the potential of state elections and the energy of the fellow travelers I’d met. Today was a day of wishing that those travelers were all back here again. Today was a day of remembering the two influential travelers I met here last year who’ve passed on and I’ll never see again. Today was a day of being thankful for the ones who are now no longer travel friends but simply friends. Today was a day of indulging in chicken drowned in mole negro, stuffed with plantains and served with a side of garlicky rice. Today was a day of indulging in Oaxaca, trying to absorb up every last bit of its enchantedness before my inevitable departure.

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When a friend suggested that I check out the music of Lila Downs, at first, her name made me assume she was an R&B singer. I later learned that she is actually a Mexican-American singer with a Mixtec mother and a Scottish-American father and she grew up in both Mexico and the United States.

When I enjoy a country as much as I enjoyed Mexico, I always look for ways to experience a little bit of the culture at home. So now that I am back, I’ve finally listened to her music and I have been pleasantly surprised. Her approach is similar to that of Marie Daulne of Zap Mama; she fuses elements of music from both of her cultures with other styles from around the world.

I chose to share this particular song, because although she has a rich alto voice rather than piercing soprano voice, it resembles the type of song and feeling from the experience I wrote about in my previous entry. The genre of music is ranchera, traditional Mexican music which is often performed by mariachi bands and usually revolves around the subjects of love, nature and patriotism. Enjoy: