'Sol y vida' is Elina Garanca's journey to the South, from Spain to Italy and Latin America, and is her first album focusing entirely on non core-classical repertoire. A selection of songs, canzone and tango pieces, both mirroring and spreading a flamboyantly emotional array of beaming happiness, passionate longing and exuberant joy. A feast of vocal colours, and a firework of passion, from the well-known 'Granada' to the intimate world of 'La Llorona'. Featuring jewels of Latin American song repertoire like Piazzolla's 'Yo soy Maria', originally part of a tango operita and 'Gracias a la vida', one of the most covered Latin American songs in history both featuring guitarist Jose Maria Gallardo del Rey in new intimate arrangements. Many of the popular pieces have mainly been sung by tenors, like 'Core 'ngrato', which was probably written for Caruso or the popular Neapolitan songs 'Torna a surriento' or 'Canto napoletano'.