The champions and revivers of norteño showcase their trademark versatility on the 2005 collection
Leyendas.
La Mafia's stylistic variety is almost as impressive as their chart success, including a healthy dose of Latin pop, norteño, tejano, conjunto, and even the occasional English-language pop ballad. Consistently reaching Billboard's number one ranking in the Regional Mexican category, la Mafia can't seem to find their way off the charts. With nearly 30 original albums on the market, there was a hefty catalog to choose from in creating
Leyendas. The flip side of that coin is that the beloved
Mafia has been well documented in the collection medium. Nearly all of the selections on
Leyendas appear on at least ten other collections, many of them on the same collection. Being part of the Latin genre in which the repackaging and hocking of old material is the most pervasive makes EMI International's job all that more difficult. However, with a whopping 25 tracks, including both studio and live material, and a delightful stylistic variety,
Leyendas is well on its way. Though it seems to sacrifice hit material for girth, leaning toward better-known B-sides, a decent
Mafia collection is great by any other standards. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez