Que Bonito Es Lo Bonito

Album Review

In a perfect world, Banda el Recodo would have been recorded extensively from the very beginning. But in the late '30s and '40s, Recodo was strictly a live act; it wasn't until 1951 that Recodo's first recordings were made. Here's what we can be thankful for: even though Recodo, under the leadership of their late founder Don Cruz Lizárraga, went unrecorded during their first 13 years, they were documented in the studio from the early '50s on. Recodo fans can hear what they sounded like in 1951 and what they sounded like more than half a century later, and instead of becoming ultra-predictable, Recodo's 2000s lineups kept things interesting by incorporating everything from pop-rap to salsa to cumbia. 2007's Que Bonito...Es lo Bonito, however, is one of Recodo's less experimental albums of the 2000s. This 33-minute CD is not as eclectic or as risk-taking as 2005's Hay Amor or 2006's Mas Fuerte Que Nunca. You won't hear any rapping or any arrangements of Selena's "Techno Cumbia" on Que Bonito...Es lo Bonito, an album that emphasizes Recodo's ranchera side in a big way. It isn't as though ranchera is absent from previous Recodo efforts of the 2000s; ranchera has been an important part of the equation even on their most experimental discs. But on Que Bonito...Es lo Bonito, ranchera isn't just an important part of the equation; it is the dominant part of the equation — and while this release might seem somewhat conservative compared to Hay Amor or Mas Fuerte Que Nunca, it is still a rewarding addition to Recodo's huge catalog.