For Minnesota-Mexicana Lila Downs, the “standing o” at the Old Town School stands for resounding cries of “OTRA!” — as in, “Sing another song!” — echoing from the audience which is at its feet applauding for more from the spellbinding chanteuse. Her five-piece band weaves new-age-textured splices of pre-Columbian-flavored world music with lite jazz as backdrop for the female lead’s invocations of native spirituality and Latino social conscience to interpret Mexican/American folk music. As performer Guillermo Gómez-Peña would say, Downs goes from Aztec to hi-tech without skipping a beat.
But the strain of keeping current seems to show a bit, since a later show has been added for tonight per public demand, and Downs does not move about the stage much — aside from a few foot-stomping moves to complement the sounds of Mexican son, or her spirited use of the güiro and tambora to join in with the band on percussion. Mainly, her body is immobile while a wide, multifaceted range of emotions sweeps across her face in concert with the voice — from husky baritone to sustained flight through upper, piercing trills. Though she does not cast an imposing physical presence, she looms larger than her petite frame throughout the night, eclipsing the backing combo.
Having excavated personal, spiritual, and communitarian roots from indigenous cultural traditions with the eye of an archeologist and heart of the earth on her last album Tree of Life, Downs turns to largely contemporary immigration issues on Border/La LÃnea (Narada). Her personal connection to the lyrics and music is no less heartfelt or visceral, as she interprets the material with the syncretic eye of mixed Mixtec-Indian and Irish-American upbringing. From a jazz-inflected re-phrasing of the traditional Mexican “La Llorona” to an American protest-folk medley of Woody Guthrie tunes, Downs invests psyche and soul into her projects, which is probably why she is sparing of her physical energy and only does one encore for the first Old Town show. Nevertheless, her incredible vocal persona provides all the energy that the crowd needs to be completely absorbed.
4 November 2001, Illinois Entertainer
