Jae-P

No one makes the accordion sound as bad-ass as Jae-P. Take the title track: A tough little keyboard riff struts up and down three notes like it owns them, while Jae-P rocks the mic hard and heavy, like Ice-T's long-lost Chicano brother. Then that accordion comes in, wheedling, wheezing, easing in strains of norteno as the hook explodes in shout-outs to la raza. This is the balance Jae-P is constantly striking, a fragile, fascinating blend of musical cultures, of politics and aesthetics, poised on the button of a squeeze-box. Actually, maybe it's the accordion that makes Jae-P bad-ass.