Track 15 from Amar Es Combatir (2006)

Track 3 from Drama y Luz (2011)

Track 11 from Cama Incendiada (2015)

Maná are one of Mexico's biggest rock bands, and it surprised me to see their name on this year's list of Rock Holl nominations, but I get that they're trying to open the door to different sounds and different cultures, and I kinda hope they get in, it would push that door a little further open for other artists. But I wasn't too familiar with their music, so I decided to use this as an opportunity to familiarize myself with it. 

I definitely remember the first time I heard of Maná was when they did an episode of "MTV Unplugged," and the first time I heard them, like a lot of English-speaking Americans, was when they appeared on Santana's Supernatural. Listening through some of Maná's top streaming hits, the ones that really caught my ear the most were "Clavado en Un Bar," "Labios Compartidos," "Te Llore Un Rio," and the Shakira collaboration "Mi Verdad." 

Maná released a self-titled album in 1987, and released two albums under the name Somrero Verde before that, but that stuff's not on Spotify, so I just started with Falta Amor, which was their first charting album. Falta Amor's title track features Alex Lora, frontman of El Tri, who were one of Mexico's biggest rock bands in the '70s and '80s, so that's kind of a nice passing the torch moment. The harmonica part on "La Puerta Azul" contains a little melodic quote of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," and a few songs give me heavy Police vibes, even some of Alex Gonzalez's drum fills on "Soledad" are very Stewart Copeland. And "Tu Me Salvaste" has my favorite guitar solo on this playlist.