\u201cThese are strange times\u201d may be, perhaps, the most recurring thought of each one of us so far this year \u2014along with the fear of getting sick, of dying, of scarcity, of uncertainty. It is strange to walk down the street with a piece of cloth that hides our joys and sorrows. It is rare, very rare, not to hug, not visit, not have a cup of coffee with friends or share sunsets. We had gotten used to the apparent normality too quickly. Alone, with family, with friends, with pets or with our imagination. But these are rare days, and all the organization of the planned time remained like a drawing in the air.<\/p>\n
And we have called this fear and the other a pandemic and quarantine, at this social distance and by staying home until it's all over. The disease is real, as real as the great wars we know. We have transported it at an incredible speed, we have globalized it as we do with everything. Silence and waiting are worldwide, like a collective plunge. It is normal to be afraid and want to save ourselves and save ourselves from fear and danger. We, the conscious ones, are in the middle of all this, not knowing what the world will be like, into which \u2014someday, hopefully soon\u2014, we will leave through the front door.<\/p>\n
Why write about a children's music album in the middle of a pandemic? It is very difficult to experience anything today that is not traversed by these rare days. During this break I moved to a new house, inherited a huge box of old photos, turned 27 and listened to Liuba Mar\u00eda Hevia's tribute album to Gabilondo Soler. This is all part of my experience. Everything is mixed, as in music.<\/p>\n
And this is where it all meshes. We need to feel safe, and when everything outside is burning and scary, childhood is the safest place there is: our homes, our memories. When I hear Liuba's voice singing nursery rhymes, I feel again like the little girl who cried with Alejo the crab<\/em> or Anne the Bell<\/em>. It's a quality of Liuba's voice and the ears of those born in the '90s. Mr. Rainbow <\/em>(1995), magical journey <\/em>(2000) and Attention, I bring a gift <\/em>(2005) formed a part of our vision of the world, they are at the base of our sentimental education.<\/p>\n Surprise, then, to hear Liuba sings Gabilondo Soler<\/em> how many of these songs are mixed in the last track of the album, Cri Cri Suite<\/em>: a medley of The Shoe Festival<\/em>, the ugly doll <\/em>and The March of Letters<\/em>. It is also surprising how I know the history of Chinese by heart Chong Ki Fu <\/em>that he no longer wanted to live in a vase. This is because Liuba had already included songs from the Cri-Cri (as Gabilondo Soler is known in Mexico) on other albums, on those we had as children. And the finding is not just for our childhood. say why<\/em>, the eighth song of this phonogram, is known by our fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, thanks to Consuelito Vidal's interpretation of it.<\/p>\n