With a title like “Songs That Hurt,” it’s no big surprise that
Espinoza Paz’s 2011 release is both his most emotional and personal album to date. Most of the pain is of the broken heart sort, with lead single “Fuiste Mía Alguna Vez” being the high point, but family plays a role, too ,as do old friends. “El Culpable” from his 2010 album, the genre-bending Del Rancho Para el Mundo, reappears here in its “Norteño Version” which is representative of this effort’s return to tradition. Helping
Paz deliver these more “rootsy” and “Northern” tones is accordionist
Kiko Montalvo, longtime collaborator of the legendary
Cornelio Reyna. ~ David Jeffries