Sometimes, one can get an idea of what a Mexican norteño band sounds like by the way its members dress. As a rule, norteño artists who wear vaquero (cowboy) attire tend to favor a traditional, straight-ahead approach, whereas norteño -- or at least norteño-influenced -- artists who make a point of not dressing that way tend to have more of a crossover/grupero/pop-minded approach. There are, without a doubt, exceptions to that generalization;
los Tigres del Norte, for example, don't wear cowboy hats but are about as hardcore norteño as it gets. But in many cases, hardcore norteño artists do look the part -- and that is definitely true of
la Maquinaria Norteña. Full of cowboy hats and cowboy boots, the photos on their second album, (
No Existen Barreras ("Barriers Don't Exist") scream "hardcore norteño" in no uncertain terms -- and sure enough, hardcore norteño is exactly what one hears on this 2008 release. One of the album's executive producers is Daniel Esquivel of
los Rieleros del Norte, which is appropriate considering that
los Rieleros are among
la Maquinaria Norteña's major influences. Los Rieleros have epitomized straight-ahead norteño for many years, and
la Maquinaria Norteña keep things decidedly straight-ahead on an abundance of polkas as well as a waltz ("Las Penas de Amores") and Tex-Mex-style cumbia ("La Culpa de Tu Amor"). Even when they perform
Juan Gabriel's "Resulta" and
Marco Antonio Solís' "Cuando Me Viste con Otra" -- both of which are Latin pop songs -- they sound like a hardcore norteño band rather than a pop/crossover/grupero band. La Maquinaria Norteña pull Latin pop songs into hardcore norteño, which is a lot different from using Latin pop songs as a vehicle for crossing over to Latin pop.
No Existen Barreras isn't groundbreaking anymore than their first album was groundbreaking, but for those seeking unadulterated, uncompromising norteño,
la Maquinaria Norteña's sophomore disc is both solid and reliable. ~ Alex Henderson