A.B. Quintanilla III Albums (10)
'Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz'
Release Date 10/3/2006
Tracks 14
Label EMI
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What The Critics Say
Producer extraordinaire A.B. Quintanilla III kept his Kumbia Kings gravy train chugging along in 2006, releasing a live album early in the year (Kumbia Kings Live) and then an album of all-new material later on in the fall. The odd thing is, after seven years and lots of commercial success, he suddenly changed the group's name from Kumbia Kings to Kumbia All Starz, even though nothing changed in terms of the music or group membership. In fact, the name change is really the only significant variable differentiating Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz from Quintanilla's previous release, Fuego (2004). That's why the name change is so odd: Quintanilla spent years building up the equity of the name brand, to the point where he enjoyed some of his greatest success to date -- with "Na Na Na (Dolce Niña)," an irresistible hit from Fuego that had a long shelf life -- and earned enormous name recognition as a result. After all, this is the guy who name-dropped "Kumbia Kings!" in countless productions of his, in case anyone failed to recognize his trademark style. Sure, it is somewhat beside the point to harp on about this name change, but frankly, there's not much else noteworthy to remark about regarding Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings, Hoy Es Kumbia All Starz. It's a fine album, as usual, comprised of up-tempo cumbias and downtempo romantic ballads, with a few covers thrown in for fun ("Parece Que Va a Llover," popularized by los Panchos, is a highlight). The chief highlights here are "Mami," which kicks off the album perfectly; "Dijiste," the choice ballad; and "Chiquilla," the clear-cut, heavily produced lead single, which appears in numerous versions. These three songs are on a par with their counterparts on Fuego -- respectively, "Viento," "Parte de Mi Corazón," and "Na Na Na (Dolce Niña)" -- and are so similarly fashioned that it wouldn't be unfair to call them effective rewrites. If anything, it's worth noting that Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings is slight, offering only ten actual songs -- once you discount the ten-second intro and the three versions of "Chiquilla" tacked onto the end of the album -- three of them covers. But if Ayer Fue Kumbia Kings is slighter in its offering than Fuego, the music is comparably top-notch as far as Latin pop goes, still furthering Quintanilla's reputation as one of the genre's most consistent hitmakers. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The all-star cast on Duetos, both here today and from beyond the grave, makes this 2005 release from the Grammy-nominated, trendsetting Kumbia Kings required listening. Spearheading the movement to merge urban music with traditional Latino styles, giving voice to their ever-growing bilingual and bicultural generation, los Kumbia Kings collaborate with an amazing selection of some of the most cutting-edge Latino artists in the world. Seeming from the very first track to be a postmortem love letter to tejano superstar Selena, almost half of the cuts either are reproduced duets with the murdered vocalist or begin with a dedication in her name. No surprise, considering that los Kumbia Kings owe their widespread success in no small part to producer and brother to the deceased, A.B. Quintanilla, who has his hand in every track. With such widely varying contributors as Ozomatli, Sheila E., el Gran Silencio, Intocable, and Fito Olivares, to name a few, Duetos offers a new texture to savor around every corner. The variety makes this an easy listen. For all interested in the inevitable new direction of both urban and Latin music, los Kumbia Kings and A.B. Quintanilla offer clear vision for what is to come. Duetos is required listening for both camps. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, All Music Guide
'Los Remixes 2.0'
Release Date 3/30/2004
Tracks 12
Label EMI International
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'All Mixed Up: Los Remixes'
Release Date 10/29/2002
Tracks 5
Label EMI International
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What The Critics Say
A.B. Quintanilla is Selena's brother, so it only makes sense that his recordings cross the same boundaries between Tejano music and pop, dance, reggae, hip-hop, and R&B. His second album with los Kumbia Kings, SHHH!, largely continues in the vein of its predecessor, Amor Familia y Respeto, except for one major difference -- the album is split between English and Spanish tracks. Perhaps hoping for a crossover hit, Quintanilla keeps most of the English language material in an urban hip-hop soul vein, while the Spanish language tracks are more in the vein of his accessibly eclectic older work (and are tied together by a loose narrative). The two halves almost feel like different albums -- particularly since there isn't much Cumbia in the English stuff -- but Quintanilla is talented enough to come very close to pulling it off. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Amor, Familia y Respeto...'
Release Date 1/1/1999
Tracks 15
Label EMI
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