Mexican singer Cavazos opts for classic pop sound

By Ayala Ben-Yehuda

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Mexico has produced classic pop crooners from Luis Miguel all the way back to Armando Manzanero and Agustin Lara. Put producers David Foster and Humberto Gatica on the case, and you can add 22-year-old newcomer David Cavazos to that list.

Cavazos' self-titled debut release on Warner was No. 49 on Mexico's album sales chart, with a U.S. release slated for August 12.

The baby-faced singer-songwriter says his inspiration comes from classic boleros by the likes of Manzanero and Lara. (He was a featured vocalist on the former's 2006 album, "Master Class.")

"It's a much more adult style than someone would expect for my age," says Cavazos. "Maybe in Mexico we needed to bring this music back. I'm trying to do that."

But other troubadours like Jack Johnson and Brazil's Caetano Veloso also figure into Cavazos' style, and he's encouraged by young fans embracing his work. Cavazos wrote the music and lyrics for his album, with such top producers and arrangers as Gatica, Jorge Calandrelli and Jochem Van Der Saag adding their touch

. Foster, known for cultivating such young talent as Michael Buble and Josh Groban as well as working with the likes of Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand, also worked on the arrangements in search of what Cavazos calls "an international sound."

Reuters/Billboard