Blending Beats: The Evolution of Mexican Regional Music

More often than not, country music is seen as an "American" genre – meaning that the music is seen as strictly from the United States. In some ways, that's true; but the genre's iconography, sound, and ethos can actually be traced to the south of the border, in Mexican regional music.

The worlds have been more intertwined than you would think, and in musica mexicana, we find the closest comparison to what we traditionally call "country music." In this episode of Switched On Pop, in honor of country week, we take a look at the cumbia-corrido hybrid "Me Jalo" from Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera, two U.S. based acts performing Mexican regional music, to see what ties the cultures together.

Songs discussed:

• George Strait – El Rey
• Carín León – Necesito Encontrarte
• Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera – ME JALO
• Fuerza Regida – TQM
• Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny – un x100to
• Fuerza Regida – SECRETO VICTORIA
• Grupo Frontera, Grupo Firme – EL AMOR DE SU VIDA
• Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera – Bebe Dame
• Shania Twain – Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under
• Hank Williams – Your Cheatin' Heart

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