Rating:
Genre:
Latin
Release Date: 03/20/2007
José Eulogio Hernandez, aka
El Potro de Sinaloa, has always focused on regional Mexican music, but like
Ezequiel Peña, he is a Mexican singer who has refused to focus on one style of Mexican music exclusively.
El Potro has recorded plenty of
norteño, but he has also made his share of recordings that have favored what is perhaps best described as a very spare, minimalist blend of
banda-style tuba and
mariachi-style acoustic guitar (although many people associate
mariachi with trumpets, the fact is that
Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán were strictly guitar-based for decades and didn't add trumpets until the '40s). You know that a new
El Potro album is going to be Mexican-oriented, but you never know what choice of instruments will prevail -- and on
No Me Quites Tu Amor (Don't Take Your Love from Me), the expressive singer divides his time between full-fledged
banda and that minimalist tuba/acoustic guitar format. It is an interesting contrast; the first six tracks find him joined by a large band offering the big wall of brass that
banda is known for, but after that,
El Potro downsizes and lets an element of
banda (the chugging tuba) and an element of
mariachi (the acoustic guitar) help him get his emotional points across. Both formats serve him well, and the Sinaloa native is consistently pleasing whether he is making some
Latin pop moves (
Marco Antonio Solís'
"O Me Voy o Te Vas," Joan Sebastían's
"Quiereme" and
Reyli Barba's
"Desde Que Llegaste" are performed) or favoring a traditionally
ranchera approach. But while
El Potro isn't a regional Mexican purist,
No Me Quites Tu Amor is ultimately more
ranchera than
pop -- and
"Las Higueras" shows how convincingly he can perform a
corrido. Full-fledged
banda or simply tuba/acoustic guitar,
No Me Quites Tu Amor is a memorable offering from
El Potro de Sinaloa.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Cart 0 items
Listen
