THE MAVERICKS
In Time
Valory Music

No one does a love song quite like the Pavarotti of Latin-tinged roots-pop-soul, and with his old pals the Mavericks, singer Raul Malo is perfectly in his element. When they fire up those mariachi horns and squeezeboxes and integrate them with all that twang and tremolo, we’re reminded just how long we’ve waited to be romanced by this particular sonic elixir. Produced by Malo and Niko Bolas, In Time almost could be called In A Time Machine, it’s got so much vintage character. “That’s Not My Name,” with its groovy finger snaps and bent notes galore, sounds positively Everlys-like (with a nod to Roy Orbison); the boppy “As Long as There’s Loving Tonight” also has a ’60s feel. Whether it’s a majestic ballad like “In Another’s Arms,” a charm-filled, mid-tempo foot-tapper like “Born to Be Blue” or a faster frolic, like “Fall Apart,” Malo’s operatic voice and the band’s swingin’ instrumentations conjure an elegance worth reviving. If women suddenly feel an urge to buy swirly chiffon dresses and dancing heels and dudes start digging around for cool suits and suede steppers, the Mavericks have done their job. — LYNNE MARGOLIS

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