Amazon.comLa Tradición is one of the hottest 1990s norteño bands, with a particularly innovative and imaginative accordionist. It sets itself apart from the horde of Tigres del Norte sound-alikes with a youthful, energetic sound that hews close to the tradition, but is not limited by it. Enrique Franco, one of the great Mexican songwriters, produced and wrote this album, and it sets out to counter the current trend of drug ballads by proving the breadth of the corrido (ballad) form. There are boasting songs like the hit "Gallo de Pelea (Fighting Cock)," but also a tribute to the Guatemalan rights activist Rigoberta Menchu and a fine song about the women left behind in rural Mexico as the men go to work in the U.S. --Elijah Wald