Los Angeles quartet La Santa Cecilia is back with a cover of the José José song “Almohada,” their first release from what will end up being the second half of their new album Cuatro Copas: Bohemia En La Finca Altozano. They will also be playing two shows in California next month: one at the Gallo Center For the Arts in Modesto on Feb. 3 and the other at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside on Feb. 4.
Part one of Cuatro Copas: Bohemia En La Finca Altozano arrived last year in the form of a six-track EP, the first of which is a mind-bending cover of “Moonage Daydream” that fades into the group’s sublime compositions of bolero, mariachi, and cumbia traditions. The very intention behind the album was to shine a luminous light on the “bohemian tradition” and “romantic classics” that have become intertwined with the people of both Latin America and the United States.
Comprised of Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez (vocals), Jose “Pepe” Carlos (accordionist/requinto), Miguel “Oso” Ramirez (percussion), and Alex Bendaña (bass), the four-piece offer-up an emotionally grandiose version of “Almohada.” Written by Adán Torres and sung by José José, the song itself is already a sustained tidal wave of bittersweet lamentation, as it unravels the sweet pain of being visited by loved ones long gone in your dreams.
In the hands (or rather voice) of La Marisoul, “Almohada” is given exceptional nuance through the tender but sweeping emotionality her voice reverberates with. Every pang of longing and hopeful yearning expressed by her words is accentuated by the quietly lulling instrumentation that lingers in the background.
The song is also accompanied by a video that sees La Marisoul and Bendaña performing the song acoustically atop a small barren hillside. The gorgeous but desolate location — made all the more radiant by the overcast sunlight gloaming all around them — ends up being a more than a suitable venue for “Almohada” to resound from.
“José José is an artist that we admire a lot, and it’s a song that reminds me a lot of my dad. The song connects me a lot to him because I’m his fan,” La Marisoul explained. “We learned a lot with this song; we always wanted to interpret it and record it because it speaks of a longing, a desire for someone. Many times, in dreams, we can fulfill that desire of being close to that loved one and we are disappointed when we wake up because we are only sleeping on the pillow. This song is a jewel and a gift for you so that people in love or those who long to be with another person can feel it.”
La Santa Cecilia will be playing the Gallo Center For the Arts in Modesto on Feb. 3 and the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside on Feb. 4.
Keep an ear out for their new album Cuatro Copas: Bohemia En La Finca Altozano!
Visit La Santa Cecilia on their website, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Words by Steven Ward
Watch the music video for “Almohada” the new single from La Santa Cecilia below!
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