Rusty Barcelo: “Songs From My Living Room”

Our own Rusty Barcelo has released her own music CD! Check out this wonderful music, and also know that she is donating all proceeds to MALCS!

“Chronicling a life amidst family and friends, these lyrics are testimonios reflecting a Chicana story at once personal and universal.”
~ Norma Cantú, Professor, University of Texas, San Antonio

“I’ve had the distinct privilege of listening to these songs for several years.  Like sacred gifts they’ve been offered up in the relative privacy of Rusty’s living room, along with good food and the laughter of old friends.  They speak to the conditions of our lives; love’s won and lost; the burdens and joys of family; the injustices and inequalities that continue to plague us; and the living connections we feel to our ancestors.  Some contain haunting phrases that seem to have been spoken by La Llorona herself.  Others delineate the problematic social conditions that we face and challenge us to continue our struggles.  All of them quickly become refrains we hum to ourselves and remember with a smile or a tear.  Though you will hear references that are specific to her Mexican American heritage, you will just as quickly realize that Rusty’s songs belong to a long line of folk traditions that have come to be recognized as “the people’s music.”  I am thrilled that with this CD, you will have the opportunity to experience the quiet power of Rusty’s floricanto.  I have my favorites, but I’ll let you discover your own”.
~ Edén Torres, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota