The great
Tejano
innovator
Isidro Lopez
died in August of 2004, so it seems fitting that a second volume of his hits --
15 More Original Hits
-- was released later the same year. All of these selections have been taken from the recordings
Lopez
made for
IDEAL
between 1954 and 1964, capturing the singer/saxophonist in his prime.
is accompanied by fairly large arrangements, featuring horns, strings, and accordion in various combinations, but his penetrating vocals -- smooth, romantic, and deeply felt -- are always front and center. There are fun songs like
"Andando en la Parranda,"
which vacillates between uptempo instrumental sections and slower-paced vocal segments, and simple romantic-styled fare like
"Desocupaste Mi Carino."
There are fun throwaways like
"Mi Rosita"
and laid-back fare like
"Mi Soldadita."
While one might guess that
chose material they believed would be popular, the songs on
never succumb to the cheesy production values one finds with a number of more mainstream bandleaders like
Henry Mancini
during the '60s. For anyone wishing to trace the roots of
music, or perhaps just pick up an enjoyable collection of well-played and sung songs by
,
is a fine place to start. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.