LAS RUBIAS DEL NORTE . (The Blondes of the North) play boleros, cha cha cha, cumbias, Huaynos, lieder, and cowboy songs. Fronted by classically trained singers Allyssa Lamb and Emily Hurst, the band mixes musicians from the US, France and Colombia who all look back to the latin motherland most of them never had. Their first release, Rumba Internationale (Barbes records), features songs written by Margarita Lecuona (of Tabu and Babalu fame), W.A. Mozart and The Sons of the Pioneers, as well as selections previously interpreted (or "borrowed") by artists as varied as Nat King Cole, Los Panchos, Edith Piaf, and Abba. Their new album Panamericana draws its inspiration from all across the Americas, and plays like a dreamy soundtrack where cha-cha-cha and boleros mix with classical harmonies and cowboy music. The result is a collection of thirteen songs, each of which is a "sparkling gem (The New Yorker.)
