Mexico beat

Latin Beat Magazine, Oct, 2003 by Jesse Varela, Rudy Mangual

On their latest album Decide Tú (Fonovisa) Conjunto Primavera presents a polished effort showcasing their caliber musicianship and versatility with 12 songs that range from downhome traditional rancheras to romantic grupero styles. From Ojinaga, Chihuahua (where the Mexican Revolution gave rise to corrido folk ballads and imbedded these mini-epics into a conjunto norteño traditional framework of accordion and bajo sexto guitar), the band bit the road in the late 1970s to establish their name and sound.

They began as a roots-based conjunto true to the sax-accordion combination pioneered by regional icons Los Alegres de Terán. Touring throughout Mexico and the U.S., they built up a loyal fan base playing cantinas and jarapeos (Mexican rodeos). Firmly anchored in driving polkas and other trad-Mex beats, they signed with Joey Records in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. Their understanding of the wit and wisdom of the corrido garnered them hits such as Corrido de Luis y Simón, El Corrido Sin Nombre and El Granito De Oro.

It was saxophonist Juan Domínguez who in 1978 recruited Felix Contreras (accordion/keys), Oscar Ochoa (bajo sexto), Rolando Pérez (drums), Daniel Martínez (percussion) and lead singer Tony Meléndez to form the group. From the beginning, the impressive voice of Meléndez gave the band its stamp. Hits like Sufro Por Ti, Borracho y Loco and others made impact on Mexican regional radio and set them on the way to bigger and better concerts.

In 1995 they scored their first gold record with a tune by renowned songwriter Jesse Armenta titled Me Nortie (I Lost My Head). They soon outgrew Joey Records and signed with Fonovisa, who propelled them to the top of the charts. The more motivated the group to search for a wider crossover appeal. Fusing the grupero sound of electronic keyboards and the pop ballad song style, they created "norteño romántico" with their smash platinum hit Necesito Decirte.

Decide Tú is the 28th album for Conjunto Primavera and en example of what this modern day conjunto is all about. The opener, Ave Cautiva, is a pop ballad that features the contralto voice of Meléndez, whose clarity, strength and expressive delivery give the group its nuance and definition. From there, ballads, valses, cumbias and polkas abound. Mi Tierra Chihuahua is a salute to their regional roots, but thematically this album is about love and raises conjunto music above the narco-corrido image that has plagued it in recent years. In the last two years, Conjunto Primavera has been honored with Billboard Awards, Latin Grammys, Premio Lo Nuestro and other positive acknowledgments. They are superstars who paid their dues in the Mexican regional dancehall circuit on both sides of the border. They made friends along the way on radioland like Hernán Amendariz (alias "El Cucuy"), who has championed their music.

After releasing a farewell album in 1997 (La Ultima Huella) followed by a monster tour that carne to an end in Mexico City before a crowd of 100,000 fans at the landmark Estadio Azteca, many believed that was the end of the legendary Norteño group Bronco, "El Gigante De America." In August 2003, after a six-year absence from the scene, the original members of the band reunited once again and released Siempre Arriba (Fonovisa). Originally established in 1982 in Monterey, Nuevo León, Mexico, Bronco was a grassroots group with a unique musical style that began blending chicano, tropical music and ballads with a norteño flavor. But their early days were hard and difficult, blackballed by skeptical critics who did not embrace the new direction and versatility of the group. Their debut album Tu Prieto received a moderate response and poor sales. Nevertheless, the cover artwork that portrayed a black horse would become their signature logo. The group's luck changed with their fourth album, notably the track Sergio El Bailador, authored by José Guadalupe Esparza (Lupe), the group's vocalist, main composer and bass player. From this point on the hits seemed to follow one after the other and the popularity of Bronco spread like wildfire across México and into the United States.

In 1990, the group received two Lo Nuestro Awards (in the categories of "Group of the Year" and "Album of the Year") for their album Un Golpe Más. The following year, they would repeat the feat by walking away with two more Lo Nuestro Awards for their eighth album, A Todo Galope. In 1995, the group arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, introducing regional Mexican music to the predominately tropical music oriented island. The following year, they returned to Spain on their second visit to the Iberian Peninsula.

This new disc turns another page in the history book of this legendary norteño group. The production traces the group's musical roots with a modern feel through twelve new compositions, including a collaborative effort of several Latin music songwriters as well as two tracks penned by Lupe Esparza. Lupe's brother, percussionist Aurelio Esparza, is now a permanent member of Bronco.