Immersing himself in a variety of Mexican and Cuban styles ( Malo is of Cuban heritage), he's at the top of his game here, sounding passionate and fully invested in the material while never sending his delivery over the top, and his phrasing and accents honor the music without dulling the impact of his personality. That said, even more than on most of their albums, En Español is a showcase for the vocal stylings of Raul Malo, and on that score it's superb. The eclectic spirit that's always informed their music and the sublime vocals of Raul Malo mean this isn't likely to alienate most of their fan base, and there's a playful yet reverent tone in the performances that keeps things buoyant. What is unexpected is that they've set their country and retro-rock influences on the sidelines for these sessions - En Español is a straight-up Latin album, and while the occasional twangy guitar figure or lounge-appropriate arrangement reminds us this is still the Mavericks, in the truest sense this is a nearly total departure from the music they've made in the past. As the title suggests, all 12 songs on this album are sung entirely in Spanish, and given the group's demonstrated fondness for Mexican and Latin styles, that's not especially surprising.

More than most of their peers in Nashville, the Mavericks have never been afraid to step off the beaten path and do something out of the ordinary, and that's never been more true than on their 2020 release En Español.

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