Another Labyrinth

One of my favorite perks of being a hopelessly obsessed Elvis Costello fan is that it’s introduced me to so much amazing music that’s NOT by Elvis Costello. 

From the Roots to Burt Bacharach, from Dave Edmunds to Allen Toussaint, EC is a first-rate collaborator. And when he collaborates, it opens the door to all of the terrific music made by all those incredible collaborators, above and beyond their work with Costello. 

I first heard Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez as EC’s duet partner on “Cinco Minutos Con Vos,” one of the standout tracks from his 2013 album with the Roots, Wise Up Ghost. In that same year, Costello returned the favor and guested on Treinta Dias, a release from La Marisoul’s longtime band, La Santa Cecilia. 

It’s an incredible record. La Santa Cecilia has their roots in a DIY punk ethos, and this album marked their major-label debut, working with producer Sebastian Krys (who has become a longtime EC collaborator in his own right, producing subsequent albums including January’s The Boy Named If). The songs are a tasty rock/pop/latin stew and with a runtime under 30 minutes, it stays true to the punk truism of all killer, no filler. Get in, get down, get out. 

“Losing Game” is a co-write for EC, Sebasitan, and the band. It would be easy to call it “sinewy” or “sultry” or something. I guess it is both of those things? 

What I love about it is the vocal performances. La Marisoul has a voice that is so big that it sounds like she finds new notes as she sings. She has tremendous control, and she knows how to use it, to pull back with veiled restraint and then build to moments of unleashed emotions. For his part, EC also enters his verse with an almost-mumble before letting lose on the chorus. Throughout, he sings with a detatchment that contrasts with La Marisoul’s committment. 

Two gifted singers inhabiting a lyric, developing characters and creating an entire web of emotional connections with just a few minutes of singing. 

BONUS 1: La Marisoul has a new solo album that just came out a few weeks ago, and it’s gorgeous. 

BONUS 2: On Spanish Model, the 2021 reimagining of This Year’s Model featuring Spanish-language lyrics and singers, La Marisoul claims “Little Triggers” as her own with “Detonantes.”