1 Gebriel by The Gebhearts

“1 Gebriel” is 7 cover songs by my favorite artist, the great Divo de Juarez—Mexican Mozart—Juan Gabriel.

I actually became a fan AFTER his death in 2016, part of the musical Mount Rushmore of deaths that year, along with Cohen, Bowie, and Prince. It was the music and music video for the song “Querida” that did it for me. Juanga (as he is affectionately referred to) is in an almost Twin Peaks-like undisclosed room filled with thousands of candles. Picture a campy Barry Lyndon, but one that’s so sincere and talent-ridden you wouldn’t dare laugh. The song starts off as a coo, as he coyly looks at the camera amongst the flames, in a red sweatshirt and brilliantly white pants. He defends himself in the court of love to a universal “Querida” (which translates roughly to “sweetheart—but trust me, the translation doesn’t do it justice). He asks her to consider his world without her. “The wound has not healed”, he sings. He only asks for a moment of her mind—if she were to comply, his whole “casa” (house) would light up. He is in Hell. A very sexy Hell.

Then he stops asking. He COMMANDS her to “come!” as he soars one of the most immaculate voices pop music has ever heard. The music was an expression of his suffering but now he is dying. Only “Querida” can stop it. There is no more asking. “Tell me!” he screams—“WHEN WILL YOU RETURN?!?” It doesn’t look good for Juanga and I’m glad because we get 2 more minutes of some of the most glorious music I have ever heard.

“1 Gebriel” represents a lot of firsts for me.
-1st album recorded in Austin, Texas
-1st cover album
-1st album in Spanish
-1st duet (on the song “Déjame Vivir”—written by Rocío Dúrcal)

My aim was that people who speak Spanish and know Juanga’s music can enjoy it just as much as those who don’t.

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