Ely Guerra

IMN representation: North America

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Monterrey, Mexico-born alt-rocker Ely Guerra is one of the most original and arresting musicians Mexico has produced and one of the most intriguing songwriters in Mexican rock. Ms. Guerra sings about passion: gazing at it from a distance, then plunging into the turbulence. Her songs incorporate rock, electronica and the torchy emotion of Mexican pop in a shifting balance of poise and obsession.

Her songs are magnificently unpredictable. She sings long nonverbal passages that seem to ponder things she cannot say. Amid volatile desires, Ms. Guerra’s songs seek not calm but equilibrium, a shifting harmony. She balanced contemplation and ardor, poise and clout, in songs that could be serene or fiery within moments.

The gorgeous Lotofire recorded in New York with a raft of well-known musicians, including guitarists Marc Ribot and Chris Whitley, bassists Melvin Gibbs and Greg Cohen, and violinist Eyvind Kang was released in 1999 in her own country and it still manages to sound utterly fresh these days. A remarkable achievement for an excellent talent.

Freewheeling, jam-filled rock with unpredictable start/stop tempos, sprinkled with psychedelic and jazzy flavorings, is about the closest way to describe Guerra’s follow-up, Sweet & Sour, Hot y Spicy.

Her live album Teatro Metropolitan shows that Ms. Guerra has power, control and range. While her words are obsessive, her music is poised. Within backdrops that change with every song — steadfast rock, hypnotic electronica, a twitchy drum-and-bass beat — her voice hovers, airy and introspective, until suddenly it sharpens to a siren wail about lonely nights. There’s no singer/songwriter out there, in any language, who’s mining similar territory and taking so many chances, and her breathy voice has a seductive, languid air that connects with the innate sensuality of the material.

Ms. Guerra released her fifth effort Hombre Invisible on her own label, Homey Company, in 2009, and after reaching the #1 spot in iTunes Mexico, the record was released on US iTunes in June of 2010. After a decade-long partnership with EMI Music Mexico for more than a decade, she decided to distance herself from any record label formula, not just sonically but also in terms of distribution and consumption – it’s the beginning of a new way of making, presenting and sharing music.

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Vale Que Tengas 2:50 Ely Guerra
Antes de Septiembre 4:42 Ely Guerra
You Love Me 3:00 Ely Guerra
Bumeran 4:24 Ely Guerra
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REVIEWS

Only a language barrier separates Ms. Guerra from fans of Portishead, The Cowboy Junkies or P.J. Harvey.
The New York Times

Ely Guerra has been compared to PJ Harvey and Joni Mitchell, not to mention fellow Mexican music diva Lila Downs… It’s no surprise that the album is called Sweet and Sour, Hot y Spicy; Ely shares a lot of different sides of herself on it. Indeed, Guerra’s decade-long career is an illustrious one, but this album is a real bright spot.
Amazon