Review: Y Su Palabra Es La Ley por Los Tigres Del Norte

Y Su Palabra Es La Ley: Homenaje a Vicente Fernández

por Los Tigres del Norte

7 Spins out of 10

Sitting quarantined at home makes me miss the days of browsing the Latin section at the late Dimple Records. I was immediately interested when seeing the release of Y Su Palabra es la Ley. In an interesting intersection of Regional Mexican musical styles I was curious how the cross-over of these two legendary artists would sound—the translation of Vicente Fernández’s old school romantic mariachi/rancheras into Tigres-style norteño.

I love tribute albums, but I usually prefer the type where a bunch of different artists come together to offer their renditions from one artist/band’s catalog. If this were that type of album we would get to hear 14 different artists perform Fernández’s classics. Instead we get 14 Chente hits in the unique norteño style of Los Tigres Del Norte. The result is a fun, solid collection that understandably falls short of the original vocal delivery.

Saying that the vocals are not nearly as good as the originals is not as much a critique of Los Tigres as it is a testament to how untouchably talented Vicente Fernández is. If you heard this album without being familiar with the originals you would surely enjoy it. It wouldn’t be out of place if these songs came on the playlist at your local Mexican bars and restaurants (for Sacramentans, Los Compadres, Jalapeños, or La Garnacha). You might even stop mid-conversation and ask your friends “Who is this? I like this song.” Although song-writing credit obviously goes to Fernández too, Los Tigres contribute respectable instrumentation and arrangement that do not by any means disappoint. If you were hearing your local, small-town band playing this well at a public event like the state fair you would be blown away and suddenly be filled with a patriotic pride for the home town where you used to mainly notice the cracks and decay. What I’m saying is that Los Tigres Del Norte are obviously talented and are norteno legends in their own right by now, even though the family band formed in the not-so-small town of San José, California after moving from small-town Mexico.

To hear where the tribute falls short, listen to the original “Por Tu Maldito Amor”, and then the cover by Los Tigres. The heartbroken belting of Vicente Fernández will make you cry like the love of your life is walking out the door at that very moment. Listening to the tribute right after the original will make you cry for different reasons—because you’re not hearing Chente’s unmatched larynx. There’s beautiful instrumentation and vocals that at least might be better than your local karaoke tribute at Chando’s Cantina (unless there’s an old, lovesick guy really going through it a few drinks deep—this often leads to more emotional and surprisingly talented versions than Los Tigres’). This comparison mostly sums up the entire vibe I get from the album: talented musical renditions of great songs previously sung by the voice of a god. Overall, the album is fun and worth a listen, even if it’s just one listen that reminds you how good Fernández is and inspires you to go back and enjoy his vast catalog.

The last song on the album is an original, “Un Consentido De Dios”, an actual lyrical tribute to the god himself. Listening to the praise here for “el más grande entre los grandes” will make anyone that’s from Mexico proud and everyone else jealous that they aren’t. Anyone from Jalisco gets extra bragging rights.

Personally, I’m still holding out hope for another Vicente Fernández tribute album that brings together various artists. Although his influence goes without saying, it’s always interesting to see which artists are inspired to join together to show their interpretations of another artist’s songs. A tribute like this would likely display more variety in terms of genre styles and vocal delivery, although everyone will fall short of Chente’s golden vocal chords. While Los Tigres Del Norte may have been inspired by his retirement from performing, I hope we’ll hear a multi-artist tribute while Fernández is still alive. Death is too often the unfortunate catalyst for artistic homage.