Tormenta The Krayolas

We say: Tex-Mex rock 'n' roll and modern border ballads from San Antonio.

The Krayolas from San Antonio, Texas have their own distinctive Tex-Mex style. Hardly typical of that genre, what they play is more Mexified rock 'n' roll than anything else and this is exemplified on "Quiero Ser Tu Novio," their Spanish language cover of the Ramones "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," which they cover in English too just for good measure. While much of what they play is straightforward bar-room rock 'n' rock, the Mexican side of things is highlighted by Spanish vocals on some songs and the guest appearance of well-respected accordionist and one-time Ry Cooder sideman, Flaco Jiminez, on several tracks.

Tormenta is a generous slice of The Krayolas recorded output, with a running time of over 75 minutes and a total of 21, mostly short, tracks. There's plenty of variety on show: after a few rock 'n' roll opening tracks and the lengthy "Wall of Accordion," "Under One Roof" heralds a change of pace —an acoustic ballad dedicated to Woody Guthrie that while well-intentioned sounds more like a demo than a finished product.

A minor gripe is that there seems to be little fluency to the overall running order and there are occasional fillers too, like the studio tomfoolery of "LaLa La LaLa," which doesn't really warrant repeat listens. What work best are unadulterated Mexican-flavored corridos like "Twelve Heads in a Bag," a cool and understated telling of a grisly drugs cartel massacre. "Tony Tormenta" is another chilling cartel ballad, an affecting song that documents the horror of the internecine drug wars of the Mexican borderland. While such dark tales might seem at odds with the lightweight jukebox rock found elsewhere these are undoubtedly the most impressive songs on Tormenta. As they say, sometimes less is more.