Lydia Mendoza Vida Mía (review)

Lydia Mendoza Vida Mía ArhooUe, 1999 CD 7008, $15.00 Lydia Mendoza, "The Lark of the Border," was born in Houston, Texas, in 1916 to parents who were Mexican immigrants. Though proficient at an early age on the vioUn and mandolin, it was with her voice and twelve-string guitar that she achieved her considerable renown. She began recording in the late 1920s, at first with her family and later as a soloist. The music on Vida Mía highUghts her work between 1934 and 1939. For the majority of the twenty-five selections she sings alone, accompanying herselfwith guitar. On five songs she sings with her family, and on six others her sister Maria joins her on mandolin. The boleros, canciones, and danzas deal with Mendoza's favorite musical subject: love, in both its rosier and darker aspects. Her exceptional voice gives her music soulful depth to which the spareness of her guitar only adds. The Uner notes provide transcriptions in both Spanish and EngUsh; as a bonus, they also contain a number ofhistoric photographs and a briefbiographical sketch. Music Recordings 9 5 ...