Any recommendations for recordings of traditional Mexican ballads by female singers?

January 26, 2009 4:11 PM

Any recommendations for recordings of traditional Mexican ballads by female singers?

I have no idea what songs Isela Vega is performing here at 5:38 or here at 8:55 [both links may be NSFW] - but I'd like to obtain a collection of similar music. It doesn't matter when it was recorded but authenticity matters - so nothing like this. If no particular recordings come to mind, a singer who specializes in such material would be fine.

posted by Joe Beese to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Are you in the San Francisco Bay Area? If you are, go to Down Home Music in El Cerrito and ask for Luba. She knows all in this area.
posted by small_ruminant at 4:14 PM on January 26, 2009 [1 favorite]

The soundtrack to Frida has several.

Based on the particular songs I enjoyed most on the soundtrack, you will want to look into Lila Downs and Chavela Vargas, for certain.

I've got another few albums fitting that bill, but I'm not recalling artists/titles and am tied to the machine for a bit longer.
posted by batmonkey at 4:57 PM on January 26, 2009 [1 favorite]

¿Me estás oyendo, inútil? Paquita la del Barrio! She is awesome beyond belief, and kicks all kind of ass. There's lots of her music on YouTube: example; another; another.
posted by Forktine at 5:57 PM on January 26, 2009 [1 favorite]

Maybe Tish Hinojosa?
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:18 PM on January 26, 2009

Chavela Vargas, Lila Downs, Eugenia León. Astrid Hadad (1, 2, 3) is great, but she's much more eccentric.
posted by clearlydemon at 10:35 PM on January 26, 2009

Linda Ronstadt's Spanish recordings (Canciones di mi Padre, Mas Canciones) feature (IMO) the best singing of her career.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 4:13 PM on January 27, 2009