The genre commonly referred to as "Chicano soul" has that "you know it if you hear it" kind of sound.
It's a bicultural interpretation of late 1950s and early '60s African-American R&B ballads by Mexican American youth, influenced by the operatic style of Mexican rancheras. Broken hearts, unrequited love and loving the wrong person are often the main themes.
Real talk: It's the smooth, bilingual vocals of Malo's 1972 hit "Suavecito" expressing the thrill of a new love that is still heard at lowrider car shows or the pleas of "You're Still A Young Man' by Tower of Power, to name a few examples.
This week, Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre unpack the genre and how the tradition is being reborn by a crew of young artists making it sparkle anew.
Songs featured in this episode
- Malo, "Suavecito"
- Joe Bataan, "I Wish You Love, P1. 1"
- Tower of Power, "You're Still A Young Man"
- Thee Sacred Souls, "Can I Call You Rose?"
- The Altons, "Soon Enough"
- Thee Sinseers feat. Joey Quinones, "Seems Like"
- Mikey Jimenez, "Takin' All My Lovin'"
Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Suraya Mohamed, with editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.
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