Rating:
Genre:
Latin
Release Date: 04/25/2006
With 2005's
El de Nayarit,
Ezequiel Peña went from being a
banda/
mariachi/
ranchera recording artist to being a
banda/
mariachi/
ranchera/
norteño recording artist.
El de Nayarit was not a change of direction for
Peña, but rather, an expansion; the Mexican singer didn't give up
banda or
mariachi by any means, but he pleasantly surprised his fans by demonstrating that he could provide
norteño as well -- and the generally favorable response that
El de Nayarit received in the regional Mexican market indicated that
Peña should continue making the accordion-powered
norteño style part of his musical game plan, which is exactly what he does on 2006's
A Mucha Honra. It would be inaccurate to describe this 34-minute CD as
norteño-oriented because
norteño does not dominate the album. Rather,
norteño is an attractive, important part of a big picture that still includes
banda and
mariachi -- and
Peña remains a charismatic, expressive storyteller whether he is embracing
norteño on
"Voy a Tirarme a los Vicios," "Valente Quintero" (a
Rosendo Monzón Quintero corrido) and
"Quisiera Amarte Menos," banda on
"El Sauce y la Palma," "Ambición" and
"No Volveré" or a
mariachi/
norteño blend on the title track. But whatever the instrumentation -- whether
Peña is surrounded by
norteño accordion,
mariachi trumpets and strings, or
banda's big wall of brass --
A Mucha Honra is a consistently pleasing addition to his catalog. Clearly,
Peña did the right thing when he opted to keep exploring
norteño without forgetting about either
banda or
mariachi.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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