Willisau (Quartet) 1991 [Box]

構成数 : 4
合計収録時間 : 00:34:55
Sometimes, one can get an idea of what a Mexican norteno band sounds like by the way its members dress. As a rule, norteno artists who wear vaquero (cowboy) attire tend to favor a traditional, straight-ahead approach, whereas norteno -- or at least norteno-influenced -- artists who make a point of not dressing that way tend to have more of a crossover/grupero/pop-minded approach. There are, without a doubt, exceptions to that generalization; los Tigres del Norte, for example, don't wear cowboy hats but are about as hardcore norteno as it gets. But in many cases, hardcore norteno artists do look the part -- and that is definitely true of la Maquinaria Nortena. Full of cowboy hats and cowboy boots, the photos on their second album, (No Existen Barreras ("Barriers Don't Exist") scream "hardcore norteno" in no uncertain terms -- and sure enough, hardcore norteno is exactly what one hears on this 2008 release. One of the album's executive producers is Daniel Esquivel of los Rieleros del Norte, which is appropriate considering that los Rieleros are among la Maquinaria Nortena's major influences. Los Rieleros have epitomized straight-ahead norteno for many years, and la Maquinaria Nortena keep things decidedly straight-ahead on an abundance of polkas as well as a waltz ("Las Penas de Amores") and Tex-Mex-style cumbia ("La Culpa de Tu Amor"). Even when they perform Juan Gabriel's "Resulta" and Marco Antonio Solis' "Cuando Me Viste con Otra" -- both of which are Latin pop songs -- they sound like a hardcore norteno band rather than a pop/crossover/grupero band. La Maquinaria Nortena pull Latin pop songs into hardcore norteno, which is a lot different from using Latin pop songs as a vehicle for crossing over to Latin pop. No Existen Barreras isn't groundbreaking anymore than their first album was groundbreaking, but for those seeking unadulterated, uncompromising norteno, la Maquinaria Nortena's sophomore disc is both solid and reliable. ~ Alex Henderson