COBRA

The unconventional corridos artist always plays by his own rules. If there’s one thing for certain about Adriel Favela, it’s that he doesn’t abide by anyone else’s rules or expectations. So, while his latest album, COBRA, includes its fair share of música mexicana variants, the San Francisco-born singer-songwriter certainly doesn’t limit himself to those. Some six songs into the album, he indulges an impulsive reggaetón urge with “RoOcCOna,” an amorous account of a licentious baddie. While certainly unexpected, the move reinforces just how unique a player he remains in the contemporary corridos scene. Even compared with that danceable divergence, seemingly straightforward expressions like “COUNTACH” and the vice-laden highlight “LUCID DREAMS” feel more lush and dynamic than the typical tumbados act out there. His respect for the format never limits the ways in which he interprets it, perhaps best evidenced by his collaborations with similarly adventurous practitioners such as Gabito Ballesteros on the luxurious “AFTERLIFE” and Calle 24 on the hedonistic “SUCIO DOM.”