No Existen Barreras

Performer: La Maquinaria Nortena
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Sometimes, one can get an idea of what a Mexican norte�o band sounds like by the way its members dress. As a rule, norte�o artists who wear vaquero (cowboy) attire tend to favor a traditional, straight-ahead approach, whereas norte�o -- or at least norte�o-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 norte�o as it gets. But in many cases, hardcore norte�o artists do look the part -- and that is definitely true of la Maquinaria Norte�a. Full of cowboy hats and cowboy boots, the photos on their second album, (No Existen Barreras ("Barriers Don't Exist") scream "hardcore norte�o" in no uncertain terms -- and sure enough, hardcore norte�o 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 Norte�a's major influences. Los Rieleros have epitomized straight-ahead norte�o for many years, and la Maquinaria Norte�a 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 Sol�s' "Cuando Me Viste con Otra" -- both of which are Latin pop songs -- they sound like a hardcore norte�o band rather than a pop/crossover/grupero band. La Maquinaria Norte�a pull Latin pop songs into hardcore norte�o, 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 norte�o, la Maquinaria Norte�a's sophomore disc is both solid and reliable. ~ Alex Henderson

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