Fonovisa Records has described as this 2007 release as a 25th anniversary CD for
los Rieleros del Norte, which means that the long-running norteño group would have been formed in 1982. However, 1979 -- not 1982 -- has often been cited as the year in which
los Rieleros' original lineup first got together in Pecos, TX. So if 1979 was the year of
los Rieleros' formation,
Ven y Dime ("Come and Tell Me") would actually be a 28th anniversary CD. At any rate,
Ven y Dime is a fine addition to their catalog. After so many years in the trenches, it isn't hard for some groups to become bored. But there are no signs of boredom on
Ven y Dime -- not at all. Los Rieleros sound as enthusiastic and as focused as ever on this 37-minute disc, tackling polkas ("Mi Linda Tierra," "Defiendeme," "Un Juego," "Leña al Fuego") and a few corridos ("El 3 Dedos," "Vengo a Llevarme a Esa Joven"), as well as Tex-Mex-style cumbia ("Muñeca Preciosa"). Meanwhile, "Pena en Cuesta Arriba" is a textbook example of regional Mexican music incorporating doo wop harmonies. Many times, regional Mexican groups that incorporate doo wop are doing so in an overtly Latin pop fashion; that happens not only in norteño, but in banda and duranguense as well (not to mention grupero and Tejano). But on
Ven y Dime,
los Rieleros never sound like a group that plays "norteño for people who don't like norteño." They are a hardcore norteño group, not a crossover norteño group. That outlook has been serving them well for many years and continues to serve them well on the engaging
Ven y Dime. ~ Alex Henderson