This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
They have spent decades criss-crossing the boundaries between rock, jazz, world and classical music. But for their latest release, New York string ensemble Kronos Quartet firmly set their compass south of the border, down Mexico way.
On the 14-track Nuevo, the veteran foursome eagerly explore the vast landscape of Mexican music from throughout the 20th century — and of course, they manage to find some colourful, out-of-the-way vistas. Journeying from the beautiful pastoral backroads of traditional songs like Augustin Lara’s mournful It Was Easy to Me and Alberto Dominguez’s sweeping Perfidia to the experimental rock en Español of Cafe Tacuba (with whom they collaborate on the epic soundscape 12/12) to the space-age bachelor pad silliness of Esquivel’s groovy Mini Skirt, Kronos switch, mix and match sounds and styles as effortlessly as changing a poncho. All while providing a tour of one of the world’s most diverse musical settings. Excelente.
