Rating:
Genre:
Latin
Release Date: 11/12/2002
In Spanish,
La Reina del Sur means "the queen of the south." But
Los Tigres del Norte are kings of the north -- north as in
norteño/
Tex-Mex music that was invented by Mexican-Americans who lived north of the U.S./Mexico border. For a long time, the San Jose CA-based outfit has enjoyed a reputation for being a well-oiled
norteño machine; they're one of the groups that listeners turn to when they want to hear pure, unapologetic
norteño. And their albums have, for the most part, been impressively consistent;
La Reina del Sur is no exception. Released in 2002, this CD doesn't point the veteran group in any new directions -- anyone who already has a lot of
Los Tigres del Norte albums in his/her collection won't find
La Reina del Sur to be groundbreaking. But in terms of quality and consistency, you can't go wrong with this album. Hearing this band playing
norteño/
Tex-Mex is a lot like hearing a veteran Cuban outfit playing
son,
mambo,
guaguancó, and
cha cha -- sure,
Los Tigres have long since become predictable, but they're still great at what they do. Tracks like
"No Merezco Tus Lágrimas" and
"Mira, Mira, Mira" are pure, state-of-the-art
norteño -- warm, lively, expressive, and emotionally rich. Of course, describing
norteño artists as purists is rather ironic because
norteño, after all, is a hybrid form that owes something to different cultures.
Norteño's lyrics are in Spanish and are inspired by the Mexican experience, but the
polka beat that one hears on much of this album has a strong German connection -- the same beat one hears at Oktoberfest is also heard at Cinco de Mayo.
La Reina del Sur is yet another fine album from a
Tex-Mex institution.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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