Ozomatli - Street Signs

ALBUM REVIEW

I do so enjoy reviewing a band that I can unequivocally recommend to anyone. There aren't too many bands that fall into that category, but Ozomatli is definitely a forerunner.

I first heard their music in an SUV while helping some friends move. The single "Super Bowl Sundae" came on, and I was sold. The song was one great melting pot of wonderfulness. It had Latin rhythms, a funky horn section, Spanish vocals, and then a rap verse in the middle that didn't seem cheesy. It was fantastic!

I ran out and bought that album, and everything else since.

I have been a little behind on things, so the album "Street Signs" actually came out a little while ago. It's still new to me, and more than likely, will be new to most of you that visit here.

I have a few things to say about the band in general before I jump in to the review.

First, I find that although most of the words here are in Spanish, the songs hold a great deal of meaning and emotion to me. I think that although it's almost similar to listening to something that's strictly instrumental, hearing these songs in Spanish conveys a lot more than you might think. I've often found that if you listen closely enough, you can tell what someone's singing about in any language.

Secondly, this band is an amalgamation of goodness. You know those cool local coffee shop musicians that you and about 50 other people know about? That vibe that you get from a band at a festival that's just jamming? Throw all of that into one big pot, and stir in heaping helpings of Latin rhythms that would make Santana proud, and strings and horns, and even guest rappers, and you have one soulful stew.

Let's get on to the album at hand.

"Street Signs" is a lot better than their last album, which focused a little too much on the rap flavors for my tastes. That's not to say that I'm anti-rap. I'm quite the opposite, and have a large and varied collection of just that myself. It's just that this album feels a lot more like they're self-titled debut, and that's all for the best. I'm not going to give you translations of everything that's in Spanish, but I will translate the titles to help a little. You should just experience the rest yourself.

The album swirls into your speakers first with "Believe". With Bollywood strings, and Arabian rhythms twisting throughout, this song is great right from the start. The chorus is in English, but it could be in pig Latin, and still be cool. It's one of my favorite songs of the whole album.

You know those feel-good songs that they play over montages in movies where the characters are rebuilding a youth center, or cleaning up a neighborhood? They're always catchy, and well-crafted. "Love and Hope" is like that, but better quality than most. There are nice touches throughout that a band with this many sounds and members can provide, and make even something straightforward like this full and rich.
The strings alone here make it worth your while, and it is in English, so you can sing along a lot easier.

The title track is up next, and "Street Signs" begins with an intro straight out of Spanish Harlem. Latin jazz then fades into a rap verse. I know that this may sound odd, but the song remains the same, and blends the rap in. It's not just a means to an end with the rap, but combines with it, rejoins the horns for the chorus, and then melds back into another verse of rap. If you're totally not into rap, then this sort of thing may keep you from enjoying it. If you have any inclination, then you'll see that this is actually quite interesting. It's non-offensive rap, and something that you don't need to worry about gangstas busting caps and smacking their bitches.

"(Who Discovered) America?" is a love song to a woman that you know is wrong for you. It's basically a story told from the point of view of our 1492 ancestors coming from Spain. It's about the lure of a dangerous beauty, and what a woman like that can do to enthrall and entrap you. It's again in English, so you can file this one under low-maintenance. It's a laid back tempo number that sort of sounds like something that would be on one of Carlos Santana's recent albums with some hip person singing with him. It's not great, but it's certainly not something to toss aside either.

I mentioned earlier that their last album focused a little too much on the rap aspect. The other thing that I didn't much care for was the fact that they didn't have the guest rapper that they had on their first album, namely Chali2na. He has a very unique, deep voice, and I enjoy hearing it every time. He's actually a member of Jurassic 5, for anyone who's interested. "Who's To Blame" runs at a blistering pace, with the slithering bassline from a steamy market in Morocco. The tablas are thumping, and the rap is just as quick, and clever. Welcome back, Chali.

"Te Estoy Buscando" means "I'm looking for you". It has the pace of a modified tango. I'm sure there's a technical term in Spanish for this type of song. Almost like something that the parents would dance to at the carnival. The ones that actually have all the good moves, and go out and show the youngsters how it's done. It's all about the string section here, and a very nice vocal delivery. Quite enjoyable overall.

We get a bit of a guitar groove on "Saturday Night". The grunt of the sax and the horns run rampant alongside a crunchy guitar, and you have instant party jam. It's just dripping with swagger, which it should be since it's one of those "let's have a good time on the weekend" sort of tunes. It's got rap verses, and a hip-hop vibe throughout. There's a Sylvester Stewart moment, and a James Brown break thrown in for good measure. Good stuff for a good time.

"De'Jame En Paz" translates to "Leave Me In Peace". It's a salsa wonderland, with infectious rhythms, and such a fun song to listen to. This really shows the band's sense of humor, and their joy in what they do. They nail it musically, and still have time to get silly too.

After the blistering, boisterous fun of the last song, Ozomatli kicks out something a little more traditional with "Santiago". Here we find flamenco guitars spun around a song about the capital of Chile. The crisp percussion whisks the song along, and for it's more subdued tone, it's still very lively.

"Ya Viene El Sol" translates loosely to "The Sun Already Comes". It's a churning song with a call-and answer delivery that's hard not to get into. Driving drums, and vocals that show their happiness in any language.

"Dona Isabelle" means "For Isabelle". It's a minute long piano solo. Simple, and clean jazz piano. I wish it went a lot longer, because it's nice work. Nimble and well done.

Which flows directly into the tribal flow of "Nadie Te Tira", which literally means "Nobody Throws To You". I wasn't able to find the lyrics, even in Spanish on this one, so I can't even attempt to tell you what it's supposed to be about. What I will tell you is that it's one of the best examples of salsa/merenge fusion that you'll ever commit to memory, and enjoyable from beginning to end.

"Cuando Canto" means(again, loosely) "when I sing a song". It has great vocals, and I even like the "yeah yeah's" in it. You have to do something right for me to like nonsensical stuff like that. It's a fitting downshift. It's reserved pace and delivery ease you into a relaxed sense of closure for the album as a whole.

I apologize for the translations on the song titles. I had the internet helping me, and not a fluent native. Please feel free to correct me if you feel so inclined.

What I don't apologize for is my unwavering appreciation and enjoyment of Ozomatli. This is real music by craftsman that love what they're doing. There's palpable emotion in their songs, and I soak that up every time I listen. This may be a more "happy" album than their debut, and follow up. They are very politically active, and proactive. A lot of that comes out in their songs, but not so much on this record. I highly recommend their work to anyone. This is a really great album, and I don't even have a track that I don't like on some level.

On a side note, if you're lucky enough to have free time and inclination to go on the Dave Matthews cruise, you'll get treated to these guys too. I wish I had known, because the idea of cruising the tropics with music this good sounds like a dream vacation to me.

Rating = **** 1/2 out of 5 stars