Lila Downs

“Exotic beauty and startling voice . . . she is a reflection of a 21st century world culture where ethnicity and national boundaries blur.”—Los Angeles Times

Known for her smoky voice and magnetic performances, Mexican-American singer and composer Lila Downs has created one of the most singular explorations of Mexican roots music on both sides of the border. She blends Mexican folk rhythms and native dialects with American folk, blues and rock. Her new release, Pecados y Milagros (Sins and Miracles), is inspired by Downs's experience becoming a new mother (something she calls a "miracle”), and a contemplation of the meaning of “sin” in the modern world. The music is accompanied by a series of specially commissioned votive paintings (retablos) by 15 Mexican painters. For this special performance, Downs and her band La Misteriosa will perform while these powerful images are projected onstage.