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Silvia Peréz Cruz is a Spanish singer-songwriter who has enjoyed a long and respectable career since the early 2000s with her solo efforts starting off in 2012 with 12 de novembre. Her ascension to being one of Spain’s top music artists is impressive as she earned two Goya Awards in 2012 and 2016 alongside working with highly respected artists like Jorge Drexler who once called her “a voice that marks a generation”. Her degree education in vocal jazz does not hinder her efforts to dive into other genres like flamenco, tonada, nova canco, and bossa nova. Diversity and creativity lies at the heart of Cruz’s artistry.

With that in mind, it’s worth noting that the key aspect of Cruz’s musical career is her reliance on narrative and storytelling. Her Catalan background and her relationship with her mother inspires her to believe that “songs are stories.” This belief enables her previous albums to take on a conceptual framework. 11 des novembre is based on her attempts to unify both native and foreign musical influences to emphasise on childhood and the passing of time. 2014’s Granada, made with help from Raül Fernández, looks into her intertwined cultural ties within her home country and its intersections with other regions. One of her biggest highlights in the album is ‘Gallo Rojo, Gallo Negro’ which is adapted from the Spanish Civil War. 

So, on the 21st of April 2023, Cruz’s newest LP was released called Toda la vida, un día. Translated in Spanish to “A lifetime, one day”, the main concept focuses on the development of life. Beginning with ‘ Ell no vol que el món s’acabi’ in the first movement ‘La Flor’, we’re introduced with the beginning phrase. “Terrifiés, á la recherche d’une fleur familiére out s’abriter, et l’inmensité du champ l’en fait peur.” (transl. “Terrified, looking for a familiar flower or shelter, and the vastness of the field scares him.”) This begins the narrative of pastoral innocence and appreciating life at its fullest, symbolised especially through the tearful wise man and the curious child. There lies the beauty of the song and the ways it represents the entirety of ‘La Flor’, the ways it explores youthfulness and how time can wither life down.

Have you noticed how the introduction is in French rather than in Spanish? This is a constant motif that Cruz loves to play around where she would sing in different languages including in English, German, or in her native Catalan tongue. This flexibility, while it makes for a more challenging listen to those who want to tune in for the lyrics, helps to round the whole album up as being universal. This kind of artistry that is felt on tracks such as ‘‘Tots el finals del món’ helps to bring vibrancy to Toda la vida, un día; it enlightens the whole album up as being transcendental beyond the limits of language. 

The album’s kaleidoscopic array of genres are also essential in enabling so many of its tracks stand out as notable gems. As each movement operates under different motifs and instrumentations, you can feel the sense of growth and development over the course of the album. On the surface, it’s largely a folk album with clear lyrical emphasis much like Bob Dylan or Nick Drake. There will always be that extra care for poetry or storytelling in selling the whole premise of the album. However, in a direction that’s similar to Okkervil River’s Black Sheep Boy, Toda la vida, un día pushes on with better attention towards its surrounding music, This creates a stage direction-like focus on the instrumentals as they highlight the different stages in one’s personal life.

‘Mov.1: La Flor’ takes on a classic chamber folk sensation that is akin to a fairy tale which makes it perfect for childlike remembrances and introspection with ‘Planetes i orenetes’. ‘Mov.2: La Inmensidad’ is grounded in jazz, flamenco, and even a bit of electronica as felt in ‘Sin’ and ‘El poeta es un fingidor’. Mov.3: Mi Jardin’ is more minimalistic with its vocal harmonies and fingerstyle guitar which you can definitely pick up on with Mi última canción triste’ featuring Natalia Lafourcade. ‘Mov.4 El Peso’ carries that on with the acoustic guitar being replaced with violins and an occasional instance of percussion which you can notice in the title track. Finally, ‘Mov.5: Remnacimiento’ sought to round up all the key characteristics of the past movements from the pop-like Flamenco nueva of ‘Estrelas e raiz’ to the ambient finale of ‘Món’. In having this level of depth, the diversity of the album transcends beyond its largely Spanish/Catalan-speaking dialects. It embraces all the fine aspects of life.

Among my favourite highlights on Toda la vida, un día is its authenticity through unscripted chatters. You tend to hear them through the likes of ‘Em moro’ with Salvador Sobral where the ending is not that of a verse or a summary about a certain point, but rather an authentic conversation. ‘21 de primavera’ begins with a little dialogue from Cruz’s daughter Lola (based on limited research) and a bit of laughter on the side which is pretty cute. These little tidbits helped to add authenticity to the whole album and give it a little bit of distinction to help make it stand out from other records that handle the same topics as it does.

The production itself is also varied in a way that makes for the album’s universal feeling whether it be the vintage-felt scratches from ‘Sucio’ or ‘Nombrar es imposible’. The sense of slight rustiness and suaveness that you could feel from the guitars and Cruz’s singing are all but small parts as to what makes the album so enticing to listen to. Meanwhile, the vocal mixing is among some of the most subtly brilliant for how clear you can hear each singer which adds depth to the already narrative-driven concept of the record. ‘Ayunda (Martin)’ plays with the prospect of falling in love through the duet between Cruz and Juan Quintero where the clear voices allow you to truly feel the chemistry. 

Don’t let these facts be all there is to talk about what makes Toda la vida, un día great in itself. There are deep cuts that I feel are worth raising up owing to how uniquely well-structured they are and each of them are largely unique in their own rights. ‘Els dracs busquen l’abril’ relies on a waltz-like time signature to portray a pastoral yet fantastical imagination of what love must be like with its subtle fairy tale semantic fields. ‘Salir distinto’ is the artistic peak with its depiction of departure and escapism through the theatricality of its backing instrumentals. Such flexibility marks a high point with how it transitions from the nova cançó to the more danceable flamenco nuevo in the end as if to mark a Greek Chorus-like conclusion to the dramatic fable. ‘El teu nom’ begins with a lullaby jingle as we approach the end of the album with a gentle, doubled vocal singing to nurture and care for the newborn child. There’s a certain tranquillity to be found especially in the end as there are only inaudible choral hums that symbolises the revival of innocence. It truly leaves the album off in a loop to sum up the thesis of the album – “All the life, one day.”

Toda la vidá, un dia is an incredible find to me personally when I decide to venture through the most esoteric records on RateYourAlbum. It’s such an intimate record despite its ambitions that you can’t help but be won over by its charms. Its structure as an entire album is filled to the brim with unique characteristics and personalities helps to make it feel more impactful as a whole than the sum of its parts. The flexible singing and the beautiful lyricisms are definitely key for sure, but the chanson-influenced composition makes for a universal understanding for many to get a grasp at what the stories revolve around. It’s reminiscent of Godspeed You! Black Emperor in their vague nudges toward the resemblance to life in 2000’s Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!

For fans of either Spanish-speaking music, ambitious folk music, or even those who want to experience the same kind of catharsis regarding loving life, Toda la vidá, un dia is a gem. It’s well-layered in all its glories with so much to talk about it. I love the album a lot to the point where it’s already among one of the top albums of the year in my opinion. Feel free to check it out for sure, I can’t stress enough just how immaculate it is.