Previous Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza “Best in the U.S” vocalist and Odessa native Esteban Velasquez has spent the past 8 months working on his first CD Ladron de Amores. The CD was produced in part by Fernando de Santiago, Pepe Aguilar’s musical director, and Raul Carballeda, vocal director for the international televised vocal competition “La Academia.” Esteban and Raul met in Mexico while Esteban competed on the TV AZTECA program last year.

Ladron de Amores features Esteban singing both mariachi and banda with mariachi musical arrangements written by Alberto Alfaro of Mariachi Vargas and the banda arrangements by Jose Luis Arreguin. Alberto Alfaro wrote 2 songs for the new CD Broma del Destino and Ladron de Amores.

“Because the cd was multiple genres, it was a difficult task to get everything together because the banda songs were arranged and recorded in Houston and the mariachi songs were recorded in Guadalajara,” says Esteban. “When all the music was finally arranged and recorded I gathered all the sessions and went to record the voice in Mexico D.F. in Fernando de Santiago’s studio Ranch Factory,” he says.

Esteban will sing Ladron de Amores on Saturday, November 21 at the San Antonio Municipal Auditorium during the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza Vocal Competition where he will also serve as the master of ceremonies along with former “Best in the US” vocalists Selina Elizondo and Monique Alvarado. He is also scheduled to sing during the “Serenata en el Rio” at the Rivercenter Mall lagoon on Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m.

Ladron de Amores can be purchased at mariachimusic.com.

Check out Esteban at www.myspace.com/estebanvelasquezeldiamante