ARTIST: Ersi Arvizu
TITLE: Friend For Life
LABEL: Anti-
GENRE: Rock
BITRATE: 168kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 49m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-05-06
RIP DATE: 2008-04-20
Track List
----------
1. Windows of Dreams 3:38
2. El Arbol 3:34
3. En El Tambo 4:01
4. Mi India 4:51
5. Sin Tu Querer 3:52
6. Friend For Life 4:32
7. In The Closet 3:54
8. Soledad (Ya No Puede Ser) 3:43
9. Angel De Mil Voces 4:59
10. Mil Besos 3:57
11. Cruisin' to the Hop 4:01
12. Dichoso 4:05
Release Notes:
Ersi Arvizu releases her first ever solo record, Friend For Life, on May 6
courtesy Anti- Records. Its a collaboration between the East Los Angeles
legend and veteran of Latin rock group El Chicano and producer Ry Cooder, who
tapped her talents for his 2005 album Chavez Ravine.
Cooder, who came across a photo of Arvizu from when she was in a regional group
called The Sisters, enthused in a statement, This strong woman has had nine
lives! It really comes through in the music as well, a chronicle of her
experiences. I love the romantic sounds of Friend For Life which, to me, conjure
warm summer nights in east LA.
With The Sisters in the mid 60s Arvizu hit #3 on the Billboard charts with Gee
Baby Gee, subsequently touring with both Ike & Tina Turner and The Righteous
Brothers. Ersi, Rosella and Mary Arvizu were often called East L.A.s answer to
the Supremes. (Check Mark Guerros history of the group at www.markguerro.net.)
I come from a musical family, explained Arvizu, in a press release. Singers.
My mother always humming songs on the radio. And they were all in Spanish, says
Arvizu, But thats how I learned: Get Daddys guitar and Ill teach you. First
how to strum and then the fingering on the neck
As a member of El Chicano, Arvizu was part of the early 70s Latin rock
vanguard; along with peers such as Santana and Malo, the group forged an
adventurous sound, a mixture of rock, jazz and R&B powered by Latin rhythms and
boleros that found an international audience well beyond the confines of East
LA. On the album Revolution she sang lead on their hit version of "Sabor a Mi."
(El Chicano is still extant, in fact, and theres a good history of the band at
the official website www.elchicanomusic.com.)
After her tenure with El Chicano, Arvizu did some solo performing, tested her
mettle in boxing (an early love for her), and eventually moved from LA to
Arizona. Many years later, though, when Cooder was looking to populate his
Chavez Ravine album, she got the fateful call.
The world has changed, observed Cooder. Weve moved away from certain
qualities that made music great, made it widely appealing. One of the things
lost was that beautiful romantic sensibility. It is a sound of the past, like
gospel singing or like blues. Consequently, Cooder wanted a voice that felt
untouchedlike someone who has been in a time warp, somebody who has been
isolated, protected from contamination. Here in Los Angeles, its less likely,
less available, where everything is hurtling forward in time and away from
these moods, these articulations as fast as you can possibly go. Arvizus
voice, said Cooder, was what he needed to embody those romantic qualities: The
microphone doesnt lie. She had the voice, the voice the microphone wants. The
voice that moves you. And its the best thing going. I cant tell you how rare
it is. Its about where youre located emotionally
Friend for Life is described as Arvizus story spread across a dozen songs about
compromises, disappointments and love, old haunts and new friends and joy, all
conveyed in a voice thats not just reliving old stories, but still sorting
through the emotions. Shes joined by Joey Navarro, guitarist Mickey Lespron
(also one of the founding members of El Chicano), percussionist Johnny Sandoval,
bassist Rene Camacho and trombonist Francisco Torres; there are also a couple of
cameos by her sisters Mary Rey and Rosella Barraza (Angel de Mil Voces and El
Arbol).
Mine is a true story, said Arvizu, and what comes through is all these
avenues Ive gone through.