NorteñoBlog

Welcome back to Songwriters’ Showcase, a not-at-all regular feature in which NorteñoBlog tries to muster some interest in the new songs on the Mexican radio chart, falls asleep in an office chair, and wakes up to find both lap cat and left foot asleep. Unable to move, the Blog faces two choices: pay bills or figure out who wrote the songs. The Blog chooses the marginally less depressing option.

At #15 we find “Tiempo,” a romantic Banda Los Recoditos ballad written by Joss Favela, who’s capable of far more interesting work, both on his own and as a writer for hire. Here he depicts a lovelorn hombre begging a bored mujer for more time together. Their amor no ha terminado, you see, and he’s still got kisses on his labios, kisses that siguen esperando. We can only hope for an answer song where she curtly provides him with a rhyming dictionary.
NO VALE LA PENA

More labios haunt “Será Que Estoy Enamorado,” the latest sierreño-by-numbers ballad for Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho, in at #8. Los Plebes, you’ll remember, left the late Camacho’s DEL Records hurling charges of “explotación.” They now record for indie label JG, where apparently they no longer have to credit their songwriters, because I can’t find a name associated with this thing anywhere. On the other hand, would you really want credit for this halfhearted attempt at tremulous amor? José Manuel López Castro’s affectless singing, sometimes an asset, just sounds bored, and even Irael Meza’s tuba sounds like it’s slinking towards the exit sign.
NO VALE LA PENA

At #5 is the latest lost-love mariachi ballad from former baby-faced banda singer El Bebeto, “Seremos.” It was written and produced by Espinoza Paz, who has his own lost-love mariachi ballad, “No Me Friegues la Vida,” down at #14. In this case, Paz has wisely saved his best material for himself. “Seremos” is fine, a bittersweet and passive-aggressive “you’re gonna miss me” song, but there’s nothing passive about “No Me Friegues,” except that it really really would like to be called “No Me Chingues” if that wasn’t sure to chinga its airplay. (Recall Octavio Paz, no relation: “[Chingar] is a magical word.”) Besides being a good-humored cabron, Paz is a talented producer, and both these songs sound like breaths of fresh ranchera air, even incorporating accordion into their horn-and-string textures. Not sure whether he’s trying to bite Christian Nodal‘s “mariacheño” gimmick — but in any case, “No Me Chingues” is this week’s Pick to Click. The stately-smutty contrast puts it over the top.

Finally, at #4 is La Arrolladora, playing “Entre Beso y Beso,” a decent lovey dovey thing written by Aarón “La Pantera” Martínez and given a percolating tropical feel by producer Fernando Camacho. Martínez also recently wrote “Millones de Besos” for Gerardo Ortiz. The Blog notes his name; watch this space for his further enumerations of besos.
VALE LA PENA

These are the Top 20 “Popular” songs in Mexico, as measured by monitorLATINO. Don’t confuse “Popular” with the “General” list, which contains many of the same songs but also the Radio Disney hit “Feel It Still,” “Havana,” “What Lovers Do,” and Shakira and Nicky Jam’s surreal gold lamé nightmare “Perro Fiel,” far catchier than my own surreal gold lamé nightmares.

1. “El Problema” – Alfredo Olivas
2. “El Color de Tus Ojos” – Banda MS
3. “Corrido de Juanito” – Calibre 50
*4. “Entre Beso y Beso” – La Arrolladora Banda
*5. “Seremos” – El Bebeto
6. “En Vida” – Banda Los Sebastianes
7. “Loco Enamorado” – Remmy Valenzuela
*8. “Será Que Estoy Enamorado” – Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho
9. “Historia de Un Amor” – Pancho Barraza
10. “Fino Pero Sordo” – Hansen Flores ft. Julión Álvarez

11. “Como No Adorarla” – Banda Carnaval
*12. “Esta Es Tu Cancion” – La Adictiva
13. “Te Perdono” – Intocable
*14. “No Me Friegues la Vida” – Espinoza Paz
*15. “Tiempo” – Banda los Recoditos
16. “Batallándole (El Gordo Flubbers)” – Enigma Norteño ft. La Séptima Banda
17. “Tu Eres Mi Sueño” – Septeto Acarey
18. “La Princesa” – La Adictiva
19. “Que Hare Yo” – La Mafia ft. Shalia Durcal
20. “Vas a Volver” – Chiquis Rivera

¡Adios!
“No Le Hago Falta” – Banda Los Recoditos
“Niegame” – Hijos de Barron
“Haz Lo Que Quieras” – Alicia Villarreal
“Desayuno” – Banda la Misma Tierra
“Ayer y Hoy” – Banda el Recodo
“Probablamente” – Christian Nodal ft. David Bisbal
“Corazon Roto” – La Arrolladora Banda