I’m adding this preface to my original post from March 2024 triggered by a Raul Malo concert at a small theatre in Newton, NJ. I recently learned that Raul had passed away last Monday, December 8, 2025, at age 60 after fighting a two-year battle with cancer. He was a unique talent that bridged musical genres. I’m thankful that I had the chance to attend one of his unforgettable performances. Here’s what Raul said of his medical challenge:
“In these past months, I’ve had to fight battles I’ve never imagined,” his note concluded. “But on the hardest of days, music remained my companion. Your letters, your stories of how a song helped you through loss, heartbreak, joy, those became our songs. You all carried me more than you know… Thank you for giving my voice a place to live, even when my body cannot be the one delivering it.”
Little did I realize that Beyoncé and I may have something in common. Beyoncé has just released her genre-bending album “Cowboy Carter.” It features collaborations with Country music legends like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. It’s her latest evolution. And, it seems my musical tastes have changed too. Sad to say it has nothing to do with her, although we may be on the same track.
Maybe it’s a product of getting older, or a mash of all the music I’ve come to like over the years. While I always have preferred rock or folk, I think my ear is bending a bit more toward progressive country, American Songbook classics and even the right Latin beat.
A few days ago, Mary Ann and I caught a famed singer, songwriter and musician at the Newton Theatre. Lately, I’ve been playing Raul Malo and his Grammy Award-winning band the Mavericks on my Spotify lists and noticed that we both were listening to the same music. Just a week ago Mary Ann found Raul had a one-night gig in NJ which gave us a rare opportunity to watch and listen to him perform.
You may remember the Mavericks for a few past popular hits but they have a strong following with a sound that always has been hard to categorize. Terms used start with progressive country, rockabilly, Tex-Mex, Americana, Cuban ballads, jazz and blues but Malo’s preferences are even broader than that. Raul Malo is the an American born singer with Cuban ancestry who has has a reputation as one of the most beautiful full baritone voices in music today. He also is a guitar virtuoso and plays numerous instruments. He’s that famous singer you probably never heard of.
Currently he is on a solo tour away from the Mavericks at smaller venues like the Newton Theatre which suits his talents perfectly.
The town of Newton is about a 45-minute drive from Morristown and in a remote part of Northwest NJ. It’s the kind of place that’s easy to forget. Once a bustling town a century ago, it conjures up a nostalgic vision of an old western town which now seems charming with old storefronts and quiet narrow streets. And, it has restored its 1926 605-seat theater into an intimate performance space and occasional movie theater again with the help of SkyPAC, the local arts supporting organization. Maybe, this was the perfect place for tonight’s music.
It was a dark, wet and dreary Wednesday night so we hesitated for a moment before we decided to make the long schlep, having already purchased the tickets. The show started with the soothing sound of Seth Walker, a former Mavericks musician, playing upbeat and easy original tunes with a sound similar to Jack Johnson. It was a nice intro to what was to come.
The house was full of excited fans waiting as Raul came out around 8:30. Mary Ann and I looked around to judge the audience as we (seniors) often do these days. It was mostly gray-haired, pony-tailed or long-haired adults. For a typical “Country” concert it might be easy to conclude which way politically the audience leaned but we guessed this could be a rare situation with equal sides and in no mood to bicker. Raul is an actively progressive guy but never mixes politics with his gigs.
He dressed plain and casual on a spare stage with one stool and a single snare drum set, it seemed almost too little to deliver what was expected. This crowd called out to hear their favorites. But he just said, “Look there’s no play list, you may not hear songs you expect. I’m just going to play what I feel like tonight.” Luckily, we were all okay with that.
He started out with two ballads so Cuban that you felt transported to a cigar-smoked cafe in Havana. Then he changed to old classic songs of love and longing from Elvis to Sinatra to Nelson to Orbison. He mixed his material carefully in the playlist. His musical knowledge and taste is only matched by his perfect guitar playing and vocals.
Dino, his eldest son, joined him half-way through the set picking up the pace by playing smooth percussion. Together they performed maybe the best song all night, Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon.” Raul closed with what he noted was one of his top three songs of all time – Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust” which was in a category of its own. This may have been one of the most “intimate” sounding concerts I have ever attended.
Maybe music genres are blurring, are just too numerous to appreciate or you just outgrow them. Today, I’m looking for a performer to deliver the right mix. Perfect sounding music that speaks of everyday life, love and longing. Music that I can relate to at this time of my life. “Country” or some other category? No category seems right for my evolved musical taste. Has your musical tastes changed over the years too?
Here’s a taste of Raul Malo and his band The Mavericks:
Here’s one of my favorite cover songs sung by Raul Malo:
My Plan C 