Raul Malo and his band the Mavericks played at the London Palladium in 2024, at what would be his last-ever British appearance. Cheered on by a capacity crowd, he showed why he had enjoyed enormous global success in a career lasting for over three decades, why he had won so many awards, why his music was so hard to define – and also why he had received scathing reviews from some music critics.
Here, after all, was a Cuban-American singer-songwriter and guitarist with a fabulous voice and impressive range – he had often been compared to Roy Orbison – who was backed by an equally versatile band. But their performance was a curious mix. There were songs that provided a brave and rousing fusion of Latin, country, rockabilly and pop, but also patches in which they veered towards cabaret.
