Me Brotaron Lágrimas / Me Brotaron Lagrimas

Whenever Fonovisa simultaneously releases two albums by the same artist, one can safely assume that they are going to have different themes or different orientations. In October 2008, for example, Fonovisa Records put out two very different norteño albums by los Tucanes de Tijuana: the romantically themed Soy Todo Tuyo and the narcocorrido-oriented Propiedad Privada (easily one of the best narcocorrido albums of 2008). And in June 2009, Fonovisa did the same thing when they put out two Incomparables de Tijuana albums simultaneously: the corrido-oriented El Señor and the ranchera-oriented Me Brotaron Lágrimas. Fonovisa could have easily fit the 32-minute El Señor and the 31-minute Me Brotaron Lágrimas on a single CD, but instead, the Univision-distributed powerhouse opted to compartmentalize. Both are solid albums that favor hardcore norteño rather than the sort of pop-minded crossover norteño one might get from Bronco or Conjunto Primavera; the difference has to do with the types of songs. And the songs on Me Brotaron Lágrimas are ranchera songs that are as folksy, as sentimental and — quite often — as melancholy as one expects ranchera songs to be. In fact, the title Me Brotaron Lágrimas roughly translates to "I'm Gushing Tears" or "I'm Drowning in Tears"; in other words, it's a stereotypically ranchera album title. Tracks like "Me Destrosaste el Alma" ("You Destroyed My Soul"), "Penas de Amor" ("Pains of Love"), and "Borracho de Amor" ("Drunk with Love") don't pretend to be even remotely groundbreaking; norteño was being used for ranchera purposes long before the 21st century. But Me Brotaron Lágrimas is the sort of norteño/ranchera effort that satisfies and pleases not by offering a lot of surprises, but rather, by sticking with the tried and the proven. Daring, adventurous, and cutting-edge? Definitely not. Solid and reliable? Absolutely.