Banda Jerez - Corazon Ranchero (CD)

All Music Guide

Warning: Corazón Ranchero is not a regional Mexican CD that you want to hear if you're in the mood for something that is calm, quiet and relaxing; no one will mistake this 2004 release for a collection of Marco Antonio Solis ballads. On Corazón Ranchero, Mexico's Banda Jerez takes banda music to the extremebanda doesn't get much more exuberant than Corazón Ranchero, which thrives on insanely fast tempos and reminds listeners just how hyper and frantic the tecnobanda style can be. Mindful of club/dance music and full of hiphop aggression, Corazón Ranchero exemplifies banda's lunatic fringeand at times, Banda Jerez brings to mind the sort of relentless exuberance that young Dominicans are bringing to tecnomerengue in the Dominican Republic. That isn't to say that Corazón Ranchero is aimed at the tropical market; this CD was recorded with the regional Mexican audience in mind, and Banda Jerez' themes are distinctly Mexican. Nonetheless, there are parallels between the way young Dominicans... are taking merengue to such an energetic extreme and the way Banda Jerez pours so much rowdy energy into this albumCorazón Ranchero isn't your grandfather's banda any more than 21st Century technomerengue is a carbon copy of classic Wilfrido Vargas or Johnny Ventura recordings from back in the day. Occasionally, Banda Jerez slows things down and takes a break from their usual highspeed intensity; Corazón Ranchero detours into softer banda romantica territory on "Mientes" and the achingly vulnerable "No Podré". But those tunes are the exception instead of the rule; 90 percent of the time, Corazón Ranchero is a wild party albumand the disc's infectious aggression will easily appeal to fans of the modern tecnobanda approach. - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide Read more Less