Llevame Contigo

Some fans of regional Mexican music have described grupero as norteno for people who aren't into norteno -- sort of like the late Grover Washington, Jr. playing jazz for people who aren't necessarily hard bop enthusiasts or Garth Brooks providing a pop version of country for those who haven't acquired a taste for hardcore honky tonkers like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. That's one way of looking at it; another way is that grupero, like Tejano, aims to bridge the gap between regional Mexican music and Latin pop, which is essentially what Juan Tavares does on Llevame Contigo (his second solo album for Fonovisa). Tavares (best known for his work as lead singer for Liberacion) doesn't pretend to be a norteno purist; thus, the standards one applies to Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Oro Norteno, or Grupo Exterminador shouldn't be applied to him. Grupero standards -- the standards one would apply to Ana Barbara or Los Yonic's -- are the standards one should apply to Llevame Contigo (Take Me With You). And when those standards are applied, it's clear that he has provided an enjoyable collection of Latin pop with norteno and Cumbia Mexicana (or Cumbia Tex-Mex) overtones. Romantic, sentimental fare is Tavares' forte, and that outlook serves him well on easygoing items such as "Mi Tesoro," "Amandote," "Voy a Hacerte el Amor," and "No Me Acostumbro" (all of which contain norteno elements but are basically Latin pop). It doesn't matter whether Tavares is providing outright ballads like "A Media Luz" and "Soy el Que Te Ama" or singing at a medium tempo -- either way, he maintains his romantic sleekness and mines the same stylistic waters as Barbara, Los Temerarios, Intocable, and Los Yonic's. And while the results aren't terribly challenging, they are always pleasant and likable for the Jalisco native. ~ Alex Henderson