Songs about the life of south-of-the-border gangsters from a man touched by tragedy

This prolific composer from Culiacán, Mexico, draws on his own tragic life experiences for inspiration, which is why narcocorrido murder narratives such as “El Crimen de Culiacan” ring with authenticity. On the title track, an accordion wobbles with drunken inspiration behind a wounded tenor that revels in the fragility of life, while songs such as “Me Persigue Tu Sombra” echo like an unplugged blues number ricocheting to the rhythm of a waltz. These songs are haunting yet inspirational in their artfulness and sense of fortitude.