Nieves de Enero

Dubbed ‘Godfather of the Corrido’, Chalino Sánchez was shot dead in 1992, aged only 31, after a concert in which he is rumoured to have received a note from the crowd containing a death threat. Sánchez is considered one of Mexico's foremost singers of traditional norteño ballads. His groundbreaking album is now being re-released as a vinyl LP, reflecting the continued popularity of narcocorridos, songs romanticising drug cartels in an echo of the genre's historic roots in the Mexican-American War (1846-48). With Sánchez’ reedy, sometimes out-of-tune vocals, tinny accordion and rattly percussion, the album is unlikely to win awards for musical virtuosity. The 15 plaintive songs still have a fresh, raw and authentic feel, however; many of them based on true tales of passion, betrayal and loss. The title-track stands out as one that is not based on drug gang violence, while ‘Manuel Peinado’ warns those that kill on impulse may come to a sticky end themselves; with Sánchez, who shot and killed a man who raped his sister, perhaps predicting his own untimely fate.