Pese a Quien Le Pese

Album Review

Los Rieleros del Norte may not have los Tucanes de Tijuana's knack for generating controversy or los Tigres del Norte's ability to get people talking about social and political issues, but when it comes to providing straight-ahead norteño that simply oozes with ranchera's emotional richness, they have reigned supreme. And that emotional richness is alive and well on Pese a Quien Le Pese, which — like so many of their previous releases — is well aware of ranchera's impact on norteño. Of course, ranchera songs didn't start in norteño; mariachi bands were performing ranchera songs long before the rise of norteño or banda (let alone duranguense). But norteño certainly became a major vehicle for ranchera songs, and los Rieleros del Norte have never had a problem performing them convincingly. They certainly bring plenty of ranchera feeling to "Y Ahora Que?" ("And What Now?"), "No Vuelvo a Amar" ("I'll Never Love Again"), "A Mi Padre" ("To My Father"), "No Se Vivir Sin Ti" ("I Don't Know How to Live Without You") and other tracks on Pese a Quien Le Pese. Emotionally, this 2009 release is a ranchera manifesto, which should come as no surprise to those who have been following los Rieleros del Norte for a long time. Their albums can be predictable, but they are also reliably solid — even the ones that fall short of essential. There are no reasons why someone who already owns 25 or 30 Rieleros albums absolutely has to acquire Pese a Quien Le Pese as well, but then, someone who already owns that many Rieleros albums is such a hardcore fan that he/she may buy this album automatically — and while Pese a Quien Le Pese isn't quite essential, it is definitely a respectable, satisfying listen.