Stefani Montiel's new album, “Divina,” opens with a sultry Donna Summer vibe straight off the floor of Studio 54.
“Yo soy la verdad. Soy fuerte (I'm the truth. I'm strong),” she sings on an intro track so authentic, you could sop up the '70s with it.
Yes, she's the real thing. So is the rest of the lineup at Saturday's “The American Sabor Music Fest” at Museo Alameda.
Beginning at noon and running until 11 p.m. on three outdoor stages, the free Market Square music festival includes Montiel, Grupo Fama, Girl in a Coma, Ernie Garibay & Cats Don't Sleep, Bombasta, Piñata Protest and Mexican Stepgrandfather.
The free concert celebrates the closing of the acclaimed exhibit “American Sabor: American Latinos in U.S. Popular Music.” It closes Sunday.
Montiel (who also sings with Las Voces de Tejas) wanted her new album to set an inspirational tone.
“The intro was an idea that we'd had for a while. We just wanted to make the album interesting,” said Montiel about her sexy cooing.
“It's about realizing that you're more than what you think you are, you know. We all possess something incredible inside of us and divine because we are, of course, from God.”
Produced by Gabriel Zavala, “Divina” has delivered three singles — “Labios Venenosos,” “Sigo Enamorada” and the cumbia “Sin Amor.”
“I've always tried to do things a little bit different and not stick to the old-school Tejano sound. Sometimes we get slammed for it. Sometimes people love it.
“To keep the younger audience interested, you have to give them something they can relate to. And for the most part, I don't think that they can relate to a lot of the Tejano stuff that's out there.”
Girl in a Coma has a new album, too. The inventive, even poetic, punk-rock trio feels connected to the fabled San Antonio sound with “Trio B.C.”
“The connection is inevitable,” said singer-guitarist Nina Diaz, whose grandfather was in a Tejano band. “It's in our blood. It's our culture. It's an honor just to be included.”
Girl in a Coma — Diaz; her sister, drummer Phanie Diaz; and bassist Jenn Alva — is the hardest rocking of Saturday's diverse lineup.
“It just goes to show you that the boundaries are endless on culture,” said Nina Diaz. “The exhibit is just amazing.”
Accordionist Alvaro Salas' Piñata Protest brings a punk-rock party flair. The band is recording an album at Blue Cat Studios.
“Simply put, it's punk rock with accordion, with norteño and conjunto influences, but really we dive into other styles,” Salas, 26, said. “It's a continuation of what I was brought up on and at the same time what I discovered in punk rock later on in my teenage years.”