15 Original Hits in Bloomington, MN

Fifteen of
Lopez
's 1954-1961 recordings for the Texan
IDEAL
label are assembled on this CD, on which
plays alto sax and sings vocals, although some of the selections are instrumental. With the exception of the two 1954 sides, he's the bandleader as well. It's more interesting than much Texan Mexican-American music of a slightly earlier vintage, both because it draws from wider influences in its incorporation of some
jazz
and
pop
, and the sound quality is much better than even only slightly earlier recordings of Mexican-American music from the region. While the material is pretty
ranchera
-heavy, the size of the orchestra and the smoothness of the horn parts mark this off from performances of similar material by more traditional ensembles. Although he apparently considered himself a saxophonist first,
was a good-natured, assured vocalist, as well, also capable of bringing more sentimental emotion to the
waltzes
. The sole
bolero
here,
"Y,"
might be the highlight, with its prominent
electric jazz
guitar; while
"Marcho Rock & Roll"
is identified as a
rock & roll
number, it sounds much more like
swing jazz
trying to masquerade as a
rock
dance instrumental. ~ Richie Unterberger