After a four-year hiatus, the members of La Sinfonía are back to prove their best work is still ahead of them.

Previously known as Ill Fame, streetwise MCs Arsenal (Luis E. Bañuelos) and Seis (Alfonso García) recruited Arsenal's little sister, singer Vane (Vanessa Bañuelos) in 2003. Likening their distinctive vocal styles to classical instruments, the group renamed itself La Sinfonía. A year later, the East L.A. trio released its debut, the semi-biographical La Lucha, El Dolor y El Triunfo (The Struggle, The Pain and The Triumph).

Powered by Arsenal's crisp raps, Seis' gravelly flow and Vane's versatile vocals, La Sinfonía soon rose out of the underground. Singles like Inseparable, the Alejandro Fernández-sampling Infiel and the piano-driven ballad Abrázame Muy Fuerte earned the group national recognition.

Earlier this summer, La Sinfonía returned with its self-titled sophomore effort. While other urban regional acts like Akwid and Jae-P zero in on banda, La Sinfonía cleverly infuses R&B, pop and ranchera. Featuring production by The Co-Stars (Teiarra Marie, Jaheim, Chingy), the group's infectious single, No Merezco Tu Perdón (Idiota), channels Joan Sebastian's Un Idiota through a heartfelt tale of domestic hardship and struggle. Arsenal insists it's "feel-good music," before adding: "the whole family can listen to our album."

La Sinfonía is currently opening for Toby Love at select venues across the U.S. The trio's first English-language single, "Lullaby," is now streaming on MySpace.

See: myspace.com/lasinfonia

Lucero Rodríguez, aka Kuky, a feisty and sultry singer from California's San Fernando Valley, has just released her self-titled debut on Machete Music. The album features production by Akwid, who also share the spotlight with Kuky on two tracks: “Bailar y Gozar” and “Let Me See”.

Rodríguez, who earned her nickname with a "clownish and sometimes sardonic" attitude, is not unlike an urban version of Ana Bárbara, delivering empowering lyrics with a healthy dose of sex appeal. Ya No, Kuky’s first single, appears destined to become an anthem for every heartbroken chica who can't get over a cheating boyfriend. On much of the album, Rodríguez' range is front and center: a flighty party girl who can transition into a heartfelt ballad with a deep breath.

A newcomer who is still relatively unknown, Kuky is benefitting from a creative online marketing push. Machete Music has posted a series of melodramatic album-related webisodes on Kuky’s MySpace. In the series, Kuky is put under surveillance by a jealous boyfriend. “Watching Kuky” may be more creepy than sexy but it's a laudable attempt at going beyond the now overdone Diddy-vision formula. But it might be a less innovative campaign which gets Kuky's name some recognition. A recent search for her distinct moniker turned up nearly identical messages on nearly a dozen message boards – some posted by self-described interns at Machete Music's parent company, Universal Music.

On her dot com address, Kuky – emerging artist, Pisces and "dreamer with a big heart" – stares out a window into an unseen future. But even more puzzling may be what's on display.

Akwid is arguably the most successful group in the fledgling Urban Regional genre. The Los Angeles-based duo, comprised of brothers Sergio "Wikid" and Francisco "Ak" Gomez – originally from Juiquilpan, Michoacan – is best known for its border-crossing mix of hip hop and Mexican regional music.

Their 2003 major label debut Proyecto Akwid turned heads up and down city streets with its Banda El Recodo-sampling single No Hay Manera, which peaked at number 50 on Billboard's Hot Latin tracks. One year later, their follow-up Komp 104.9 Radio Compa – with its concept of a fictional radio station devoted solely to Akwid's music – was also a success. Jamás Imaginé helped the duo sell 350 thousand units of Komp 104.9 Radio Compa with almost no radio airplay. Their third album, Los Aguacates de Jiquilpan, released in 2004, continued the concept album trend with a fairy tale accounting of how the Gomez brothers came to the U.S. The single Sentir La Vida is memorable for its skinalicious traffic jam video.

Despite commercial success and critical praise – including a Latin Grammy and two Billboard Music Awards – the Gomez brothers are hardly complacent, refining their fusion of banda, rancheras and hip hop with each new release. Akwid's latest album E.S.L. (English as a Second Language), featuring lead single Que Quiere La Nena, may well become their most successful album to date.