Solis Sticks Mainly With Glitzy Approach

The self-glorifying video presentation that preceded Marco Antonio Solis’ concert on Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre--showing all the awards the performer has garnered--was a good indication of what was to follow.

When the former leader of Mexican supergroup Los Bukis jumped onto the stage, there was something almost messianic about his persona. Dressed in black, holding a white guitar and sporting long hair, beard and a mustache, the singer-songwriter spoke of God with straightforward sincerity, thanking his “brothers” for coming to see him.

Unfortunately. Solis’ many hits explore the least challenging spectrum of Mexican commercial music, alternating between faceless, sentimental pop and lively banda and cumbia concoctions.

Halfway through the show, Solis brought out Laura Flores for a duet of “El Alma No Tiene Color,” his most recent hit as a composer and the theme of the hugely popular soap opera of the same name, starring Flores. This turned into an impromptu Flores concert, as she stayed alone onstage for almost half an hour.

Solis returned with the L.A. mariachi ensemble Sol de Mexico for the show’s standout moments: contemplative interpretations of “La Venia Bendita” and “Morenita.” Such material demonstrated that when Solis returns to the musical roots of Latin America, his tunes gain in inspiration and credibility.