**** Julieta Venegas
**** Ogden Theater
**** 08.07.08

The pride of Mexico , Julieta Venegas (I’m not talking about Vicente Fernandez), sashayed from end to end across a tiny stage that was set up for a thirteen piece ensemble that was used for her MTV Unplugged album that she’s currently promoting. Her precise moves resembled a bank thief working his way in a vault set up with lasers to detect potential robberies. The cohesiveness of the large band brought an added element of beauty to the already gorgeously penned songs by Venegas. The set list used for last night’s performance read like a Best Of album, but the truth is, there’s no filler on Julieta’s albums. Very rare is it that you get a full album from top to bottom that is solid in an industry that is more geared towards singles.

Julieta’s stage presence was omnipresent throughout the Ogden to her legion of loyal fans that seemed to mouth her every word. The Boss is known as being a blue-collar kind of guy, and Julieta fancies herself as a typical everyday woman that identifies herself with the humble people from her country. The brilliant truth is that she’s remarkably talented. Her ability to man an accordion, while chirping like a bird alerting nature that Spring has arrived is awe-inspiring . The musical ability doesn’t stop there, she also plays piano, guitar, and writes her own songs.

I had forgotten that Julieta had contributed a song to the Amores Perros Soundtrack (if you haven’t seen this movie, get on it), but one of the highlights had a delicate version of Amores Perros with her on the acoustic guitar. I’m not a fan of Mexican Polka , Regional , Musica Norteña, because of the accordion but Julieta Venegas brought a different flavor when she’s squeezed her monstrosity of an instrument as she sang , Eres Para Mi (You Are for Me). A lyric from that song (it doesn’t sound as good as it does in Spanish) is one that resonates in my heart whenever I think of Julieta’s music , You are for me, so the wind has told me, but the lyric takes on a different life in Spanish. The evening ended with her cover of my favorite Los Tigres del Norte classic, La Jaula de Oro. The cover perfectly explains the current struggles that many Mexican immigrants feel where many have made their lives here in the US, while trying to preserve/instill their culture in their kids.

Last night’s show was one of those that had you hugging your significant other after every song and exchanging a quick peck because of how romantically nostalgic the music made everybody feel. Julieta Venegas is tied for number one in my book of favorite female Mexican singers (she’s tied with Ely Guerra) and for those that were unable to attend, I implore you to purchase her latest offering, Julieta Venegas Unplugged.
Julieta Venegas-El Presente [mp3]