El Cuchipe is a bambuco by Eduardo Gomez Bueno, exquisitely performed here by Los Lobos. Their version originally appeared on the Tex-Mex and traditional album Just Another Band from East L.A.
The layers of strummed chords create a soft pillow of sound, and individual notes are picked out with gentle precision. In addition to guitar and mandolin, Los Lobos play various Mexican and South American instruments, like guitarron, jarana, requinto guitar, and charango.
Cesar Rosas sings the lead vocal with linguistic dexterity and natural charm. I love the middle section that goes:
toma la llave (take the key)
abre la puerta (open the door)
prende la vela (light the candle)
tiende la cama (make up the bed)
it makes me think of one of those enumerative songs, like 12 Days of Christmas, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, and When I First Came to this Land. I often wish Cesar would just keep going with the list: pick up the laundry, turn on the tv, look at the movies, eat all the cookies, etc.
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