Review: Christian Lopez- 'Magdalena'
I was lucky enough to catch Christian Lopez at an Americanafest showcase in 2015, less than a year after his Dave Cobb-produced debut album released. I was impressed enough to track his career since, through 2021's The Other Side and now to his new album Magdalena.
Magdalena was written over the past two years in the town of the same name in New Mexico and recorded once again with The Other Side producer Robert Adam Stevenson. The album process was greatly affected by a tragedy in 2022 when Lopez's younger brother died from a fentanyl overdose. That kind of life event could have led to a really dark album from some artists but Lopez instead chose to focus on the mission to “leave something real behind” by producing an album that is sometimes wistful, sometimes funny, and often insightful.
The album's best song is also its lead single, “Girl and a Gun.” Checkhov (the writer, not the dude from Star Trek) once said “if you introduce a gun in the first act, it must go off by the third.” In country music, that's more accurately restated “if you introduce a gun in the title, it must either be fetishized (if producing bro country) or used to murder someone (usually the girl if you're playing bluegrass). Lopez... does neither. Instead, he writes a pleasant love song that doesn't even introduce the gun until the third verse, where it is about as far from fetishized or villainized as possible. Lopez acknowledges this departure from tradition, singing “I know what you think / ain't that bad / it's just like the kind that Elmer Fudd had / It's there for the snakes / and it sits on a stand / and it always will.”
Lopez also shows his more rock-oriented side on standout “Let Them Down.” With a hum of feedback to intro the track, it's a slab of psychedelic Southern rock with some fat Tres Hombres-era ZZ Top guitar licks to drive it along. Lyrically, it's as close to a dark song as the album gets and Lopez delivers it with a vocal power that you wouldn't think possible listening to the more sedate tracks on Magdalena.
On the aptly-named “California,” Lopez takes an amble through a little bit of Laurel Canyon jangle pop. “Got stuck on the way to California / just trying to see my girl again / mama said 'don't say I didn't warn you” Lopez sings before bridging in with “I just want to ride around the desert with my friends / that long black ribbon gotta have an end” and transitioning into a catchy chorus about all of the people he'll call (including AAA) to “get back to you.” It's exactly the kind of breezy summer song you want from an album released in June.
One of the most gratifying parts of this gig is tracking an artist's growth across multiple albums. Especially an artist who started with as much raw talent as Christian Lopez. Magdalena is an album that should move the needle on his career. There are several songs here that seem ready for Americana radio airplay. In honor of his brother, a portion of the album's proceeds will be donated to fentanyl outreach programs The Michael Leanordi Foundation and Voicesforawareness.
Magdalena releases June 9.