Sobre Los Rieles

Album review

Like other Mexican norteño bands, los Rieleros del Norte have the sort of audience that aspiring musicians are envious of: an ultra-loyal audience. The loyalty factor is the thing that enables them to continue providing album after album, year after year; los Rieleros have a lot of hardcore fans who keep coming back for more. And Sobre los Rieles does nothing to alienate those fans; this 2004 release is yet another solid, consistent outing from the Texas group. That said, there are no compelling reasons why someone with a more casual interest in los Rieleros absolutely has to acquire Sobre los Rieles; someone who fits that description could easily be satisfied with a handful of best-of collections. But for the diehard Rieleros addicts who already have 20 or 25 of their albums and still cannot get enough of the group, there is a lot to enjoy on this CD -- not only original material like "Mi Razón" and "Buenas Noches Chaparrita," but also, Marco Antonio Solís' "Estabas Tan Linda"." Although Solís is primarily a romantic Latin pop singer along the lines of Julio Iglesias and José José, his songs can be arranged a variety of ways -- and "Estabas Tan Linda" easily lends itself to los Rieleros' norteño perspective. In a 2004 interview, one of los Rieleros' members was quoting as saying, "El norteño es un género que no ha pasado de moda para nada." Translation: norteño is a genre that has not gone out of fashion at all -- which is an accurate statement. Not all Mexicans listen to norteño, but the style continues to enjoy a great deal of support in the regional Mexican market -- and los Rieleros still command an enthusiastic bunch of followers who will appreciate this respectable, if less than essential, addition to the group's catalog.

© Alex Henderson /TiVo