The Daily Deep Cut

The editors at JamsBio like to think of ourselves as music fans first, not critics, and that’s the sensibility we strive for at JamsBio and that we seek in other sites as well. That’s why we’re so jazzed about Damn Fine Day, a site that each day profiles a deep album cut that’s been overlooked, but deserves a place in everybody’s collection. In the name of spreading the gospel about great music, we present “The Daily Deep Cut,” where we add our two cents about the songs featured on Damn Fine Day. Once you read our unique take, we’ll send you over to Damn Fine Day so you can stream the full track and download it if you like. Sometimes we might even suggest another deep track from the same album or present some other novel twist on what their hawking.

You almost stumped me, Damn Fine Day! My knowledge of Wendy Waldman is fairly limited, and until this morning I had never heard the track chosen as today’s featured pick. I do know that she’s got quite a solid fan base stemming from her days as a West Coast soft-rock chantuese. Nurtured in the same scene as Linda Ronstadt, J.D. Souther, and Maria Muldaur, Waldman recorded a string of records in the seventies for Warner Bros., but never enjoyed much commercial success.

With its cheeky title, “Gringo in Mexico” sounds just like you’d imagine, a decidedly American spin on a South of the Border mariachi vibe, replete with vihuela strums, trumpet blasts, violin trills, hand claps, and Spanish phrases punctuating the English lyrics. It’s a pleasant enough listen and its evocative images certainly transport you down Mexico way. Unfortunately, the Mexico it evokes is more Club Med Cancun than Cocula, Jalisco. I do like Waldman’s voice, though, and after digging a little deeper into her catalog I was pleased to find some first-rate SoCal songwriting that easily rivals the best work of Ronstadt and Muldaur.

But don’t take my word, head over to Damn Fine Day and check out “Gringo in Mexico” for yourself. Like me, you just might find enough there to spur further exploration into the music of an overlooked talent.

No Comments »