Raul Malo brings magnificent voice to Dallas’ Kessler Theater

It is an odd thing to covet a person’s voice.

Stranger still to want to frame it like a work of art and hang it upon a wall — beseeching everyone you know to gather ‘round and gaze upon its magnificence.

Yet that is precisely the effect Raul Malo’s voice — one of the finest in modern music; a sweet, sensual, nuanced instrument that can lift your spirits, break your heart or make you fall head over heels in love — has upon the ear.

That voice, most often found anchoring the Mavericks, was on full display Saturday for a sold-out Kessler Theater, arguably the most ideal local stage upon which Malo could have performed. (For his part, Malo explained that he became aware of the Kessler after a Trishas show earlier this year, and as soon as he had a break in his schedule, he booked a rare solo gig for the space: “I love this little place,” he said Saturday.)

For 110 minutes, Malo, armed with nothing more than a well-loved acoustic guitar, a music stand, a binder of notes and that voice, dazzled the capacity crowd with music that showcased his broad, deep and abiding love of a finely written song, whether it was his own or someone else’s.

The music of the Mavericks — a rowdy, lusty melting pot of country, jazz, Latin and pop influences — was stripped down to its essence: Back in Your Arms Again (which Malo credited with “getting the Mavericks started again”; Every Little Thing About You and Come Unto Me all sparkled Saturday.

But the evening was elevated from special to unforgettable when Malo began working through material he characterized as being “a big influence on me,” such as Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, Javier Solis’ Sombras Nada Mas or Willie Nelson’s Crazy, which prompted a hysterical anecdote about Malo and Jamey Johnson getting high in the Library of Congress after a tribute to Nelson, who’d proffered the pair a joint: “When Willie Nelson hands you drugs, you do them,” Malo deadpanned.

The room was with Malo every step of the way, apart from those who insisted on shouting requests the singer-songwriter breezily ignored — “You can yell whatever you want; all I hear is ‘Play whatever you want, Raul, you’re awesome,’” he cracked at one point — and often seemed to hold its breath as Malo’s rich purr carved more magic out of thin air, slipping from high to low and displaying an almost supernatural grace.

There was also a deeply poignant moment, as Malo, whose father passed away earlier this year, debuted a tender, devastating new song, I Wish You Well, about the seismic emotional event: “People think it’s a love song, and it is, but it’s about a different kind of love,” he observed.

Love was indeed in the air Saturday, on both sides of the stage — Malo made a ribald crack about being an aphrodisiac for the crowd — and that intense affection spilled over into the encore, when Malo couldn’t quite leave, playing one song, then another and then just one more, as the audience roared ever louder after each performance.

When you covet something, after all, it is extraordinarily difficult to let it slip from your sight — and there was not a soul fortunate enough to be in the Kessler Saturday who wanted Raul Malo to stop sharing his exquisite gift with us all.

This story was originally published August 21, 2016 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Raul Malo brings magnificent voice to Dallas’ Kessler Theater."