"TEX-MEX" Stays true to it's Roots!
J. F Kopeck | Parkville, Maryland United States | 08/05/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The first time that I heard Lydia Mendoza was on a CD of American Roots Music. The song was her famous "Mal Hombre"and being a true fan of real roots music be it Cajun,Bluegrass,Zydeco or Tejano I am totally blown away by what fantastic music many of these early artist were able to acomplish.I have a book on music with an early picture of Lydia playing her guitar and singing. She has a look of really enjoying what she is singing but at the same time looks serious about it also.In other words she looks to be taken away with her music. This lady has been crowned the true "Queen of Tejano".An honor like that is only given to a select few. Other examples: Clifton Chenier-"The King of Zydeco", Jimmy Martin- "The King of Bluegrass", Aretha Franklin- "The Queen of Soul"> See what I mean,these folks are the best in the busness!
These songs are done in the Old World style and it take me back to my youth when much of my time was spent on the coast of Texas from Corpus Christi to Huston and the Tex-mex music was heard on the radio and on the streets as much as Western Swing.Sure you need to have a love for this music just like anything else before you can really apperciate it but this CD is a good place to start if you are looking for more then most of the trash recorded today. We live in a world where Country Music is no longer Country, Soul music is no longer Soul,Modern Bluegrass now wants drums, what American music coming too?
The only really good stuff in my opinion is stuff from the past before the modern era of worthless Rap music being sang by gangsters and half dressed B-Girls trying to sing so-called Country (What a joke)!
This CD is so good that you should buy Lydia's other CD from the 1930's titled "Mal Hombre & Other Original Hits from the 1930s". This is some Great stuff as I would compare Lydias voice singing Tejano music to Anita Carter singing Classic Country! You can't go wrong with this selection - trust me! Oh yea, she also plays a really mean guitar!
"Enjoy" JFKopeck"