Who the heck is Sofi Mayen? That is what we asked when we began to listen to the compilation album “Dancing Queens”, a tribute album to Abba. Sofi did a duet with Rebel Cats and sang the song, Hasta Manana. My girlfriend fell in love with Sofi’s unique voice and had to find more of her.
My girlfriend doesn’t really go out and hunt music very often as she will just listen to whatever I get, but when she searches for someone, it must be good. Sofi is relatively unknown, doing duets and appearing on singles more than having the depth of her own discography. We found that she did release her own album in 2012 and we had to hunt it down, buying it from an overpriced second-hand seller online. But it was worth it.
As I am listening to the album with headphones on at Starbucks, I am trying to figure out who she compares to and I am coming up blank. The first two songs are pop songs with an edge. She doesn’t feel mainstream but I don’t get the indie vibe from her which makes the music accessible to the common folk. Â The third song off the album, “Te Odio” is a power ballad with deep bass and lots of drums during the chorus, but feels acoustic with a guitar during the verses and ends with a small piano solo at the end.
Hailing from Mexico, Sofi has been hard at work making a name for herself. This album debut on the Top 5 digitals downloads at Mix-Up, the number one retailer of music in Mexico. The song “Te Odio” was featured in the Mexican soap opera, Amor Bravio.
Some of the highlights from the album are Yo No Te Quiero and Un Dia De Estos, both of which are upbeat pop songs with a rock edge making Sofi feel like she could seriously kick some pop butt on the radio play. But as I talk about the pop songs that make the album have commercial appeal, some songs like Dependo Tanto De Ti, give the album its independent charm. I hate comparing people because I always get someone who will debate that, but I compare Sofi quirkiness similar to Julieta Venegas, but very different when you are dealing with the music portion.
Altogether, the album is great. If you like pop, this album is for you. If you like rock, this album might have some great songs for you. If you are tired of the same ol’ music, I would definitely recommend this album for you; but good luck finding it, as it is not currently on eBay or Amazon at the time of writing this review.
Since that day, I have been study Latin pop and rock music and have become a Latin pop music historian through the publishing of articles, fanzine, and websites. My goal is to teach people about Latin pop music and the history behind it with my website, Siempre En Domingo.
- REVIEW: Los Claxons – Caminando En Fuego (2022) - November 6, 2022
- Review: Airbag – Siempre Tropical (2022) - November 6, 2022
- Debut: Thalia – Psycho Bitch - November 6, 2022