Y La BambaBest Y La Bamba Albums Ranked

Mujeres

pastemagazine

7.9

“There have always been elements of traditional Mexican music in the songs of Y La Bamba. They’re frequently wrapped in a folky indie-pop package that’s practically shorthand for Portland, Oregon, the band’s hometown. This time around, mastermind Luz Elena Mendoza peels away much of that accompaniment—the luminous guitars and lush synths—in favor of a more rhythmic approach that gives this album a ”

Lucha

pitchfork

7.8

“The Mexican-American singer-songwriter harnesses the musical echoes of their ancestors into a gorgeous, dreamlike memory palace.”

Mujeres

pitchfork

7.7

“During this whirlwind of dream pop, folk, and jubilant dance music rendered in Spanish and English, Luz Elena Mendoza steps forward as a singer and bandleader like never before.”

Court the Storm

rollingstone

7.0

“It figures that matter-of-fact polyglots like Y La Bamba would vibe with producer Steve Berlin of matter-of-fact polyglots Los Lobos, who warms up Bamba’s folk-rocking second record. Frontwoman Luz Elena Mendoza can warble tremulously like a Latina Joanna Newsom, then let rip a robust alt-country holler not unlike that of Neko Case, who joins the band […]”