A few new tunes have dropped this week and recently. Check ’em out.
El Tiempo f/ Juan P. Moreno – Quiereme. The first time I heard of Juan P., he was doing vocals and bajo sexto for Los Chamacos de Jaime de Anda on the Johnny Canales Show’s Sea World concert series. So, when he went solo, I kept following him because few had this ability to rock-out on a bajo while playing traditional conjunto music. No surprise when I heard that prolific Tex-Mex drummer Aaron Holler and producer Jullz Johnson got together with next-gen players, such as bajo player Stevie Ray Vavages, acordeonista Lalo Morales, and bassist Pete Gutierrez to record a new single with Moreno on vocals. This hard-core version re-lives some memories with some amazing musical abilities from all participating. I’m loving it.
Vargas – De La Garza – Don’t Let No One Get You Down. When David de la Garza isn’t busy touring with La Mafia, he is doing the local circuit as a soloist. And when Andy Vargas isn’t on the road with Santana, he comes down to Houston to work with de la Garza. Together, they have given us this new take on a WAR classic. The combination of smooth vocals and amazing musical abilities put this one on my radar. Give it a listen.
Mike Gonzalez & Iconiczz – Me Esta Doliendo Su Ausencia. Mike Gonzalez, the son of the late Tejano icon, Jimmy Gonzalez, dropped an album recently, and this tune caught my ear. I recall first hearing it by Arturo Montes y Ternura back in the 80s, but I’m really diggin’ this take. The entire album has the legacy sound of the Jimmy-led Mazz, while Alex Basulto provides the vocals. Our friends at Tejano Nation have more on the album.