Quite often, terms like "crossover norteño" or "pop norteño" are used to describe ultra-slick, overtly commercial, middle-of-the-road material with a heavy Latin pop fixation (as opposed to the gutsy, gritty, rough-and-tumble norteño that artists like
Los Tigres del Norte,
Oro Norteño,
Los Huracanes del Norte, and
Los Tucanes de Tijuana are known for). But some norteño can have Latin pop appeal without sounding ultra-slick or formulaic. A case in point:
Zaino's
Siempre Te Recordaré (I'll Always Remember You). This late-2008 release wasn't designed with hardcore norteño purists in mind;
Zaino's romantic norteño incorporates elements of Latin pop, rock, and country. And yet,
Zaino cannot be lumped in with the grupero crowd either; sentimental tracks such as "Te Voy a Extrañar" (I'm Going to Miss You), "No Llores Mas" (Don't Cry Anymore), and "Eres Mi Verdad" (You Are My Truth) are much too earthy, too earnest, and too folksy to be called grupero or to be dismissed as simply Latin pop with an accordion (not that grupero isn't without its pleasures --
Ana Bárbara, for example, has provided some excellent and highly memorable Latin pop recordings). No,
Siempre Te Recordaré is definitely an album with a norteño orientation -- not norteño that is staunchly traditional from start to finish, but norteño nonetheless. And those who have been exalting lead singer/founder/accordion player Pedro Guzmán as an expressive, charismatic frontman will continue to feel the same way after hearing this 43-minute CD; Guzmán knows how to go beyond the superficial when he performs. One could describe
Siempre Te Recordaré as "romantic crossover norteño with a difference"; however one chooses to describe this album,
Zaino's work makes it clear that crossover appeal and artistic integrity are not mutually exclusive. ~ Alex Henderson