As a singer-songwriter, Emmy-nominated actress, and, most recently, an author, Michele Domínguez Greene knows that there’s more than one way to communicate. And she knows what she wants to communicate through her music: the basic human needs for love and freedom. On the new "Luna Roja" ("Red Moon"), as on her 2002 debut, "Ojo de Tiburón," the bicultural Greene expresses those universal yearnings through nine original songs, seven of them sung in Spanish, in a delicate but passionate acoustic fusion of traditional and contemporary Latin sounds and North American folk influences. The CD’s tenth song, and lone cover, is a haunting version of Bruce Springsteen’s "Across the Border" that encapsulates Michele’s hopes for a unity of heart and home. Listeners need no knowledge of Spanish to be moved by Michele’s music. The lyrics to the songs in Spanish appear in the CD’s booklet in both English and Spanish, and the emotional core of every track can be gleaned from Michele’s expressive vocals and the sensitivity of her multicultural accompanists, principally her live band, Los Tios. Michele and her producer, co-writer and band leader, Ciro Hurtado, the Peruvian guitarist, solo artist and musical director of the Los Angeles-based Latin-American band Huayucaltia, have crafted an intimate musical tapestry utilizing predominantly acoustic guitars, bass, percussion and subtle accents of accordion, trumpet and backing vocals. Guest artists include acclaimed singer-songwriter John Gorka, who adds his deep baritone voice to "Little John," and various well-known Latin-oriented musicians, including award-winning drummer/percussionist Tiki Pasillas, bassist Guillermo Guzmán, trumpeter Ramón Flores, and percussionist Cindy Harding,! whose sister Libby, a member of Los Tios, provides exquisite backing vocals. The songs themselves address the personal and geographical borders that create so much of life’s turmoil. Troubled love – the gulf between two people – is central to "Julieta," "Oro, Herrumbre y Lágrimas" ("Gold, Rust and Tears"), and "Mentira Linda." The wider borders and gaps between cultures, countries and expectations of social change are the targets of "Ciudad Juarez," "Piedra y Libertad" and "Sal Si Puedes." But there can’t be life without hope, and "Luna Roja," "Pajarito Colorado" and the closing "Across the Border" all provide glimpses of a better future.