Por Ahi

"Mexican bluegrass? Irish mariachi? Santacruz is helping to redefine Mexican American music" -WASHINGTON POST- The 2nd album of the Mexican born, Brooklyn based musician, "Por Ahí" draws influences as diverse as Norteño music, American bluegrass, and post-punk favorites like the Smiths and The Pogues. It captures the visceral acoustic punch of Rana's live shows, with an eight-piece band that includes drums, percussion, upright bass, acoustic guitar, banjo, violin, trumpets and Rana's own accordion. Rana Santacruz's songs reveal a knack for poetic - even cinematic - storytelling, as grounded in the music of Tom Waits and the literary tropes of Magical Realism as in Mexico's venerable corrido (story-ballad) tradition. Wtih this album, Santacruz confirms his growing reputation as a literary storyteller who's not afraid to grab audiences by the heart as well as the head. Tracks like "Deseos de un Hombre Muerto" (A Dead Man's Wishes) - whose protagonist demands "show your cleavage at my funeral" as he faces down death - and "Marinero de Ley" (Like An Old Sailor Should) - about a sailor who dies "with the sail in his hand, tobacco in his mouth and cognac on his skin" - showcase Rana's gift for wry, layered storytelling and gallows humor. At the same time, songs like "Cumbia de la Serpiente," (Serpent Cumbia) "Lo Único Que Quiero" (The Only Thing I Want), and "Noches de Lluvia" (Rainy Nights) veer between all-consuming passion and a sweet tenderness, while "Te Quiero Ver Llorar" (I Want to See You Cry) portrays the dark, obsessive side of love.