Record-Raíces Latin 2025 Album

Raíces | Roots Solo Album Out Now!

Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album available on Bandcamp

Argentine-born Stewart (née Rodriguez-Rozic) embraces her roots with the Porteño accent that permeates the seven-song record. The all-Spanish album, featuring award-winning original songs plus two covers—from Cuba and Argentina, respectively—is close to her heart. Recorded at Bias Studios and co-produced with singer-songwriter and lead guitarist Kevin Dudley.

Album Songs:

1. El Día Más Oscuro (The Darkest Day)

©Valeria Stewart and Kevin Dudley, BMI

2023 MASC Vocal Jazz/Blues, Honorable Mention

2. Ensueños (Reveries)

2024 ISC Latin, Semi-Finalist ©Valeria Stewart, BMI

3. Eres Mi Amor (You are My Love)

2019 MASC Vocal Jazz / Blues, Honorable Mention

2025 Unsigned Only Music Awards / Latin Music, Semi-Finalist

4. Por Que

2021 JLSC, Weekly Winner

2021 MASC Vocal Jazz-Blues, Finalist

5. No Eres Tu (It Isn't You)

2019 MASC Vocal Jazz / Blues, Silver

6. Veinte Años (Twenty Years)

7. Zamba de Usted (Zamba for You)

Of the five original songs, three explore separation and loss, delving into how a relationship can end in absence while leaving the cause a mystery. Two are love songs: Eres Mi Amor, a dedication to her husband of over 30 years, and Ensueños, a poem she originally wrote in English. The latter offers a fun twist on a fantasy or reverie about someone, posing the question: Is it true? Is it you?

The two covers on the album contribute to the themes of love and loss. Argentine lyricist Félix Luna once set out to find the girl he had met and fallen in love with as a teenager by writing for her one of the most beautiful zambas in Argentine folklore: Zamba de Usted. Veinte Años is a classic Cuban bolero, originally written by María Teresa Vera and Guillermina Aramburu. It is a deeply emotional song that expresses sorrow and nostalgia, asking how someone could forget a love that once meant everything.

Raices = Roots

Grassroots = Música de raíz

This record represents my cultural roots, and in addition, in music, “grassroots” refers to movements, artists, or scenes that grow from the bottom up—often starting in local communities, independent venues, or underground scenes rather than through major commercial or industry channels.