First Listen: Ani Cordero, 'Querido Mundo'

Ani Cordero has grown so much over her short career in front of the microphone. I can hear it in her latest album, Querido Mundo. Since her days as a founding member of the alternative Latin rock band Pistolera, Cordero has immersed herself in as many styles, genres and cultures as she could, all in the name of becoming a complete musician. She possesses a deeper understanding of how music is put together and a refined passion in even the subtlest phrasing.

Querido Mundo is also a major step in how she views the world through song. She's at a place now where her songwriting is essentially storytelling set to music. Profound ruminations on love and the state of the world are backed by a collection of pan Latin styles and genres. For example, "Piensas en Mi" is as delicate as it is powerful with its poetic lyrics wrapped around music that is reminiscent of several Latino folk styles.

But make no mistake about it: This album is a direct musical statement about the state of affairs in the world, adding Cordero to the multitudes of socially conscious performers rising up these days. She joins a club that shows that the word is often mightier than the sword in getting people to think about the world, and maybe even change their behavior.

The album's title, Querido Mundo, roughly translates to 'world that is loved.' By writing and singing about the kinds of things that challenge our moral compass, Ani Cordero also brings to light a spirit that inspires a fight against those challenges, to help us all make it a better 'world that is loved.'

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