As she strums her wood-toned, acoustic guitar, Sandy Caldera reminds the crowd inside St. Mary’s Catholic Parish in Sherman, Texas, that tonight’s concert is not about her, but about God.
She sings in her clear mezzo-soprano, yet sometimes smoky, powerful, voice (which reminds some of a Latino version of Adele). Caldera, who has been blind since birth, belts a potpourri of well-known church songs like Muevete en mi (“Move in Me”) and El espiritu de Dios (“The Spirit of God”), turning to Bendito, bendito sea Dios (“O Blessed Be Our God”) as a priest carefully gathers a sacred Host from a golden-dome tabernacle and places it on the monstrance at the altar.
“If you have a family member who did not come tonight, but that you know he should be here, hand him over to God,” Caldera tenderly tells the crowd.
Caldera, 43, often sings Spanish ballads or boleros accompanied by her trusty Taylor Gold Label six-string guitar. But she is no mere solo folk singer-turned-gospel enthusiast — she is one of the biggest acts in Latino Catholic circles, reaching almost legendary status in places like Southern California and parts of Mexico, where she has sold countless CDs and recorded
