4
A respected producer and songwriter in his own right, A.B. Quintanilla III will probably be best remembered as the producer, collaborator, and brother ofSelena. In recent years, he's been working with the Texas Kumbia Kings, a young quintet packaged much like 'N Sync or Boys II Men, and the partnership has been successful enough to gain platinum album sales in the U.S. and Latin America. The music is a modern mix of tejano, cumbia, reggae, and hot-buttered R&B; that is polished to the kind of bright sheen only a high-end producer can manage. The band's fourth album,4, sticks with this formula while again featuring lyrics in both Spanish and English. For those not familiar with the band or its sound, the liberal use of accordion (cumbia's main instrument) may seem at odds with the poppy modern style and R&B; vocal harmonies, but it actually provides enough grit to nicely balance the band's glossier modern moments. Guests include Ozomatli and El Gran Silencio.--Tad Hendrickson