Manhattan Records

Minnesotan by way of Mexico, Lila Downs’ diversity is more accurately showcased in her music. From folk and blues to Latin jazz and pop, Shake Away, Lila Downs’ latest release is her most ambitious. Crammed with impressive guests including Spanish flamenco-fusion sensation La Mari, Mercedes Sosa and Enrique Bunbury (former lead singer of Heroes del Silencio) it’s an album that is, not surprisingly, all over the place. But somehow her version of Lucinda Williams’ “I Envy the Wind” blends in with a silly fast-paced ditty like “Los Pollos”. For a multicultural and multi-mood experience, it doesn’t get more comprehensive than this.