A Maverick

 

 

In the pantheon of country albums, 1994 was a stellar year. Take a look:

  

I bought at least 50% of them, but I admittedly bought a ton of albums back then. 

The thing about albums, unfortunately, is that the majority of them are only so-so. Once you get past the one or two radio hits, it's the rare artist who's able to sustain an entire album. George Strait could do it; Dwight Yoakam could do it.

Then every once in a while, there's that surprise. 

Musicland was my store in 1994. It was the only store in my town where one could find a huge selection of CD's. And its staff actually knew music, believe it or not. Once, I asked one of them if they could identify a song/artist, by only reciting a tiny bit of the lyrics I could recall, and the guy pointed me in the exact right direction. 

In '94 I was in the midst of my CD-buying addiction, which accounts for the many discs I walked out of Musicland with (after paying for them--I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea). I'd come home, drop a CD into the changer and log onto the (rudimentary) internet to both browse and listen to music simultaneously. Frankly, most of the CD's were background noise. Not this one. I perked up at the first track, stopped in mid-browse, and exclaimed (to the empty room), Wow!  

Given my druthers, I preferred stone country, but I also liked something a bit off the country grid--still country, but done in an original way. Dwight's albums were like that. And then there was this one. Of all my hundreds of CD's, this one I've played almost more than any other. 

Not to take anything away from the rest of the band--they were great--but oh, my; that lead singer. What a voice. What a presence. 

 

No performance video, but wow:

 

                                                 (Was this recorded off a TV screen? Sorry.)

 

What The Mavericks did, thanks to Raul Malo, was integrate disparate styles into country music, from (Malo's obvious love for) Roy Orbison to a cover of a Springsteen song, to even a Frank Sinatra ditty. But it was Malo's Cuban-American roots that provided the backdrop and the flair. 

Unfairly perhaps, the other Mavericks band members were almost relegated to backup players, but a band has a unique sound for a reason. Otherwise, they would have named themselves Raul Malo and The Others. Really, the only member of the band I remember is Robert Reynolds, and only because he was married to Trisha Yearwood. Most importantly, in my opinion, was finding the right producer for What a Crying Shame. The band's first major label album didn't do much of anything, but when Don Cook signed on for this one, his skills caused people to take notice.

As all bands inevitably do, the original members eventually departed and Raul reconstituted the group with new players. And The Mavericks went on from there. But the originals were still together for Music for All Occasions.

The two hits from that album:

 

(I love this, featuring the great Flaco Jimenez, who also passed away this year.)

 

Every music fan can cite the artists they love. Many times, what they love is the vibe. I can rattle off a few singers who are/were all vibe and either bad or mediocre singers. But no one can deny a beautiful voice. Roy Orbison had one; a few others did.

Raul Malo absolutely did. And his performances conveyed a joy...of music or life or probably both. All the sadder, then, that he passed away at the young age of 60.

Well done, Raul Malo. We won't--can't--forget you.

 

(Raul Malo died on December 8, 2025.)