Los Tucanes de Tijuana

In October 2008, Fonovisa simultaneously released two albums by Los Tucanes de Tijuana: Soy Todo Tuyo (I'm All Yours) and Propiedad Privada (Private Property). Both CDs are norteño-oriented (with some brassy banda arrangements offered as bonus tracks at the end), but while Propiedad Privada emphasizes narcocorridos, Soy Todo Tuyo generally favors a more romantic outlook. This type of contrast is nothing new for Los Tucanes, who have long been known for their ability to perform a hard-hitting narcocorrido one minute and a sentimental ranchera the next -- and that versatility has been creatively and commercially advantageous for them. Soy Todo Tuyo, unlike Propiedad Privada, doesn't contain any references to drug smuggling in Mexico or the bloody war between Mexico's rival drug cartels; instead, it is dominated by romantic rancheras such as "Adios Para Siempre, Adios" (Goodbye, Forever Goodbye), "Tu Eres" (You Are), "Cuando Tu Estas Conmigo" (When You're with Me), and "Te Perdí Para Siempre" (I Lost You Forever). This 57-minute CD also contains a few exuberant party songs, including "Me Gusta la Banda" (I Like Banda) and "Mexico Es Tu Casa" (Mexico Is Your Home). But romantic rancheras are the album's primary focus -- and whether a track falls into the party song category or the romantic ranchera category, this disc steers clear of social issues (whereas the opposite is true of Propiedad Privada). Soy Todo Tuyo is not among the essential discs in Los Tucanes' sizable catalog, which grew by leaps and bounds in the 1990s and 2000s. But it's an enjoyable outing nonetheless, and there are plenty of hardcore followers who will no doubt want to acquire Soy Todo Tuyo simply because it is by Los Tucanes de Tijuana. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide