In Brief

An exhilarating demonstration of norten~o grit, this left-field hit (recently among the top 10 sellers in Southern California) pits bands from various Mexican states in a sort of musical battle. The 14 songs from such groups as Los Herederos del Norte and Los Comandantes de Nuevo Leon offer plenty of hot accordion lines, bouncy drum rolls and lyrics that describe rugged smugglers and vicious killings with a morbid sense of humor that borders on the surreal. Some of the vocals are slightly out of tune, but the apocalyptic sounds of helicopters, cars and distant gunshots more than make up for it. Ideal background music for a Dia de los Muertos celebration.

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