While corridos are one of Mexico’s most prominent musical genres, a variation has recently surged: corridos tumbados. Undoubtedly, the blueprint for this genre is Natanael Cano. With controversy blooming from his initial albums, Cano’s seventh studio album,“Nata Montana,” once again exhibits the reason why Cano is the face of current regional music.
In terms of production, the album has an upgraded sound in contrast to his debut, “Todo Es Diferente,” released in 2019. There is a clear difference in the general mixing and mastering of instrumentals. However, in terms of themes, the albums do not differ much. The themes consist of love, work, money and experiencing the fruits of one’s labor; however, the controversy about this music is the other topics it promotes.
Drug trafficking is one of the most prominent problems Mexico faces. Many argue that this genre is why Mexico’s most pervasive issue will not disappear. Since the music somewhat glorifies the leaders of cartels, drugs and the act of killing in itself, it is understandable why the genre is highly disputed. Despite his controversial themes, the impact Cano’s music has had on listeners internationally should be recognized. He is one of the contributing artists who bumped Mexican regional consumption in the U.S. up to 42.1% in 2023.
“Nata Montana,” referencing “Scarface’s” Tony Montana, has features of other known corrido artists, like Peso Pluma and Junior H. Using 12 string guitars, tololoche — a variation of a double bass — electric bass and trumpets, Cano makes catchy rhythms that captivate his audience.
“Mi Bello Angel,” a popular song on the album, has more than 501 million streams on Spotify. The song speaks of the loss of love using metaphors of an angel guiding the singer’s life, and without her, the artist feels lost. He contrasts a devil who ran into an angel with divine timing. Instrumentally, the track is not much different from other songs on the album, but is still one of Cano’s most recognized songs in his discography.
“Diran de Mi” is a track accompanied by Tito Torbellino Jr and is a banda Sinaloense corrido. While trumpets and accordions are the essentials for a Sinaloan band styled song, Cano adds a twist by adding tololoche to the track. The song’s meaning is portrayed through the perspective of someone who has reached success and faces accusations of changing because of their new power and money. The song is somewhat threatening in its lyrics, with mentions of power and gun violence — a very prominent argument when discussing the rise of corridos tumbados.
“Más Altas Que Bajadas” is about the difficulty of life’s risks — the bigger the gamble, the bigger the reward. Cano talks about how much life has changed since starting his music career. The song credits a god when talking about the singer’s riches — mentioning luxurious brands like Mercedes and Cartier. The song is slower than other songs on this album, being audibly softer with simple riffs in comparison to other chords in the record.
While this album faces controversy like all the other pieces of corridos tumbados, its unavoidable rhythms are what make it the face of Mexican regional music. It is a common belief that this genre is worth nothing because of its negative promotions, but what most forget is that correlation is not causation.
