Back in 1998, Ely Guerra appeared on the cover of Time with fellow Mexican pop singer Julieta Venegas, declaring the “tough-toned singers” to be ushering in a new era of female-fronted Latin music. Twelve years later, Guerra’s career may not have exploded to the level of Venegas, but she’s still plenty tough, as seen from her latest release Hombre Invisible, which she’s currently touring the US supporting. As the title implies, the record’s all about Guerra embracing her masculine side, but not at the expense of retaining her distinctively arresting vocals on songs like “Stranger”—plus, she abandoned major label EMI in favor of releasing it on her own. It’s enough to make you look past her collaboration with 30 Seconds to Mars a few years ago.
Thu., Sept. 30, 9 p.m., 2010
