Jorge Santa Cruz

In the opening years of the twenty-first century, vocalist and composer Jorge Santa Cruz joined Quinto Elemento in a cohort of fresh Mexican acts that broadened, refreshed, and reinvented the corrido tradition. His songwriting confronted the narcotics-related bloodshed engulfing his native Sinaloa, routinely weaving in genuine individuals and personalities, yet the ensemble also delivered classic corrido arrangements, rancheras, and romantic ballads; the standout successes, however, arrived via the updated corrido vein in numbers such as “Mas Que Una Diosa,” “Secuestro Express,” and “Gerencia MZ.” The collective’s long-awaited full-length, La Supremacía, appeared in 2011.