Balas Y Chocolate

The Mexican-American singer and songwriter Lila Downs is known for paying tribute to her Mexican roots. She is at the forefront of fusing traditional and indigenous culture with the universality of world music. Considered a standard-bearer of Mexican folklore, she proudly shares her indigenous roots. Her twelfth studio album, Balas y Chocolate (Bullets and Chocolate), is no exception. The title reflects her philosophy that modern Mexico is a microcosm of the bittersweet times we live in; on one hand, violence, and on the other hand, the excesses represented by chocolate, delight and manna of the gods, fruits that remain and symbolize our strength as a nation, Lila notes. This album is dedicated to the Fiesta de los Santos Difuntos (Day of the Dead), and Mexican culture's uniquely vibrant commemorations of death. It's another tradition that Lila Downs shares with us through music as no one else can. Lila remarks that one of the most representative songs of this tribute to our traditions is titled 'Son de Difuntos', a jubilant song that speaks of our culture's uniquely irreverent attitude towards death.