Customer Reviews

Concrete Blonde Y Los Illegals

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Found this walking in the record store the other day. Got home and put it on. I've liked Concrete Blonde music for many years. I heard that this disc was mostly spanish sounding and not the real CB. The first song "Caminando" was an excellent rock song. Johnette sings "Viva La Vida" also another good song. There are some low points, but overall this is a real good cd. The last song on the disc is "Deportee" the old Woody Guthrie song which i first heard done by The Byrds many years ago, this version is very good also.

Enter the arcane world of "Concrete Blonde y Los Illegals",circa mid 90's, leave all preconceptions behind. That this would be considered "Hispanic music" is funny. They would be insulted since they are the antithesis of pigeon hole labels , especially those that are inaccurate. A mainstay on the LA punk scene during it's(second or third?) heyday that featured many radical groups, many Xicano mixed and based. Along with Maria Fatal and others this band was a favorite of the locals, especially La Raza. Let's start with the bad news. The vocals are not the best annunciated Spanish you're going to hear. It's the nature of the beast. Some Mexicanos/Xicanos are raised in the duality of American culture and seperated from their roots. The strain and attempts at singing in Spanish are clearly evident. Now the good news and what carries this CD beyond the mundane. The lyrics are killer, these guys take no prisoners as all facets of American culture are fair game. This is at times a dark CD, at times humorous,but always poignant. There are a few duds but for the most part the political nature of the CD is enough to stimulate. The tradional Mexican song "La Llorrana" has a fine Spanish acoustic guitar complimented by tormented vocals but as stated, poorly annunciated. A B+ for effort."Despierta" is a bilingual number that is asking for "Wake up my people, no more sleeping" culminating with quotes from the Mexican muralist Jose Clemente Orozco. "Another Hundred Years of Solitude"" is testament to living in the barrio claiming "that's not me on television" and closes the song with them singing "Chaising down the American dream,running past the pawn shop filled with liberty, in a nation of immigrants afraid of mirrors we work, we dance, we sleep, and sing......" these vatos are political! Quite possibly one of the best offerings is "Ode to Rosa Lopez". Remember her from the OJ trial? Anyway this song is done in a unique style( speaking ala poetry ) that is worth the price of the CD alone. The references to the "trial of the century" are hysterical and razor sharp, political wit unmatched concerning this episode in LA's ugly past. "Xich vs. The Mirga Zombies" is so cool, the title alone is a thing of beauty. There is even a Woody Guthrie song, "Deportee", myself I like "Los Super Seven's " version but its ok anyway. This is not music you'll here on the radio because of it's political nature, no matter who was doing it. A sleeper, missed by many and misunderstood by probably more fans of Concrete Blonde but a dagger nonetheless.

johnette napolitano and concrete blonde are still one of my all time favorite groups. i have to have all their cds. it was an added bonus to have them playing with this great mexican group. english, spanish, spanglish songs. great combo. i do agree on one thing though from a couple of the reviews. sorry johnette my old friend from silver lake and bally's you are italian and your spanish dialect just dont work.

Being an avid Concrete Blonde fan & also a fan of good Hispanic music, I naturally assumed that this would be a can't miss cd. I was dead wrong. It appears that Johnette & co. were finished after Mexican Moon. This thing falls flat on its face! It sounded absolutely uninspired. If you need a Concrete Blonde fix, but own all the other stuff, you'd do much better to pick up Pretty & Twisted(A Johnette project that is very worthwhile). I tried this one out for a while, but could never get into it. I ended up givimg it away. Johnette is too talented to give up on, but who among us is perfect? I don't know if she's lost the passion or if it just took a holiday on this one. I strongly suspect the latteer. It's not just the vocals; the music is flat too. Another Hundred Years Of Solitude is easily the best track on an otherwise lackluster album.

update: The fire is still burning. I saw CB in April of '02 and they were absolutely phenominal!!!!

...and one of the most unimaginative CD booklets I've ever seen. What? They only posed for one picture together? This CD came out while I was still hooked on Johnette's "Pretty N Twisted" album, so this was surely a disappointment by comparison. "Caminando" is forceful, "Another Hundred Years" is Johnette at her best, but "Ode To Rosa Lopez" marks an all-time low. Other songs also don't quite measure up. Not the place to start on your Concrete Blonde search...C+

I am highly disappointed in this album and the efforts of Johnette Napolatino and her band. This album is basically made for the Spanish speaking fans of Concrete Blonde.