With 2005's
El de Nayarit,
Ezequiel Peña went from being a banda/mariachi/ranchera recording artist to being a banda/mariachi/ranchera/norteño recording artist.
El de Nayarit was not a change of direction for
Peña, but rather, an expansion; the Mexican singer didn't give up banda or mariachi by any means, but he pleasantly surprised his fans by demonstrating that he could provide norteño as well -- and the generally favorable response that
El de Nayarit received in the regional Mexican market indicated that
Peña should continue making the accordion-powered norteño style part of his musical game plan, which is exactly what he does on 2006's
A Mucha Honra. It would be inaccurate to describe this 34-minute CD as norteño-oriented because norteño does not dominate the album. Rather, norteño is an attractive, important part of a big picture that still includes banda and mariachi -- and
Peña remains a charismatic, expressive storyteller whether he is embracing norteño on "Voy a Tirarme a los Vicios," "Valente Quintero" (a Rosendo Monzón Quintero corrido) and "Quisiera Amarte Menos," banda on "El Sauce y la Palma," "Ambición" and "No Volveré" or a mariachi/norteño blend on the title track. But whatever the instrumentation -- whether
Peña is surrounded by norteño accordion, mariachi trumpets and strings, or banda's big wall of brass --
A Mucha Honra is a consistently pleasing addition to his catalog. Clearly,
Peña did the right thing when he opted to keep exploring norteño without forgetting about either banda or mariachi. ~ Alex Henderson