Sisters Morales – Para Gloria
Houston sisters Roberta and Lisa Morales have made a name for themselves in Texas with sizzling live performances that redefine Tex-Mex by combining honky-tonk with Latina influences (pedal steel mariachi, anyone?). In the past, they’ve occasionally applied their tight harmonies to Spanish-language songs. But on their third album, they dive headlong into what is clearly their first love — Mexican folk tunes, all sung in Spanish.
Yet Para Gloria is more than a collection of rancheras, or else it would sound like everything else on the local Spanish AM station. The difference is the talent involved. The sisters’ voices merge the way only those of sibling singers can, not simply singing parallel, but seemingly entwining to create a wholly new, single voice.
“El Talisman”, “El Despertar” and “Ay Jalisco” are among the eleven songs that flow at a wonderfully sequenced pace amid traditional arrangements. Lisa’s husband David Spencer, previously known for his electric guitar prowess, proves to be an accomplished Spanish guitarist as well.
The beauty of what the Morales Sisters are doing is revealed in the tune “Algo Tonto”, better known as “Something Stupid”, the Frank & Nancy Sinatra pop standard that looses its smarm when sung in Spanish. And if you want to know what it all means, the lyrics are printed in both Spanish and English.