2007-12-18 - 10:22 a.m. Part of my bread and butter is reviewing the seemingly hundreds of norteno albums generated each month by Mexican grupos and bandas. They are hugely popular in the Western US, and pop up on the Billboard charts week after week. Each group releases what seems like 3 or 4 hastily recorded albums a year, and then 2 greatest hits collections, and reviewing these records is a matter of shuffling around some boilerplate text: "lively rancheras," "bouncy polka numbers," "achingly romantic ballads." Anyway, I've developed a grudging affection for these bands, which makes reading this story--like something from prime time TV--all the sadder and more shocking. Have you heard about Williams Syndrome? Waah. I wept into my breakfast whiskey as I read this blog post. thoughts? (3 comments so far) previous - next blog archive contact