After a conceptual album of narcocorridos that found the edgy singer telling the story of notorious Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero while also covering
Bob Marley's "What Is Love,"
Gerardo Ortiz's 2012 release looks to be without ambition. It's not -- it's as big, brash, bloody, and provocative as ever -- but
El Primer Ministro is certainly a looser album and a welcome return to form as well, offering an abundance of love songs along with the earnest corridos found on
Entre Dios y el Diablo, most of them focusing on that grey area between good and evil. Check "Sólo Vine a Despedirme" for a heartfelt ballad that bursts into an effervescent party, or the punchy title track, which is a bold declaration of kingship, like
50 Cent or Darth Vader big.