Rating:
Genre:
Latin
Release Date: 08/02/2005
When connoisseurs of regional Mexican music are trying to explain
norteño to non-Mexican listeners, they compare the
polka-influenced, accordion-powered style to everything from
gangsta rap to
country --
gangsta rap because of all the narco-corridos (corridos about drug trafficking north and south of the United States/Mexico border) that
los Tigres del Norte,
Grupo Exterminador, and the late
Chalino Sanchez are known for,
country because of all the rural imagery, cowboy attire, and melancholy tales of heartbreak and unrequited love. And the
country/
honky tonk comparison certainly applies on
Y Que el Mundo Ruede, which is another excellent album from the long-running
norteño institution known as
los Rieleros del Norte. This 2005 release is full of melancholy lyrics -- full of
lágrimas y tristeza (tears and sadness) -- and
los Rieleros once again remind you that emotions run deep in
norteño music. This 12-song disc ranges from material by longtime
Rieleros saxman
Eugenio "Pemo" González to no less than six songs by Mexican
pop superstar
Juan Gabriel:
"Ya No Me Vuelvo a Enamorar," "Cuando Decidas Volver," "Fue Un Placer Conocerte," "Se Me Olvido Otra Vez," "Tenias Que Ser Tan Cruel," and
"Que el Mundo Ruede." Gabriel is not a
norteño artist; his specialty is romantic
Latin pop --
Latin adult contemporary, if you will -- and the male vocalists he is typically compared to include
José José,
Julio Iglesias,
Joan Sebastían, and
Marco Antonio Solís. But
Gabriel has
mariachi and
ranchera influences, and his songs don't necessarily have to be performed in a
pop fashion. In fact, they can easily lend themselves to a straight-up
norteño arrangement, which is exactly what happens on this rewarding CD.
Y Que el Mundo Ruede is yet another album that la Máquina Musical Norteña Número Uno can be proud of.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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