An older release from the
Trio Xoxocapa (the acid river), a group of huapango musicians from the Veracruz portion of the Huasteca region of Mexico. The trio works from a tradeoff between the sounds of Victor Ramirez del Angel's flying fiddle solos, and the songs of Jorge Vidales Hernandez and Ismael Hernandez, Hernandez always anchored by the huapanguero guitar work of Ismael. The music is always in a higher register, thanks to the aesthetics of the genre, and is nearly always in a relatively high tempo. This isn't the stereotypical mariachi sound by any means, but there are similarities to be heard. It's a happy sort of sound throughout, bouncing with energy. For a nice, simple look at a form of music common to Mexico, but rarely heard over the rush of Tejano, Norteño, and mariachi, this album might not be a bad way to go. ~ Adam Greenberg