Lila Downs May 6, 2006

Featured in 2002's Frida and on the film's Grammy Award-nominated soundtrack, Mexican-American chanteuse Lila Downs evokes the vibrant rhythms of her country's long and cherished folk-music legacy but with hip, contemporary instrumentation and arrangements. Singing in Zapotec, Mixtec, Mayan, Spanish, and English-and with a range and a voice that defy easy categorization-Downs brings a keen social awareness to her repertoire of original and traditional songs expressing messages of respect for human rights and dignity.