Don't Mess With The Dragon

Ozomatli | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Concord Records
• ASIN: B000M06STA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,915 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On their fourth full-length studio release, Ozomatli serve up a rhythmically seething musical mélange that serves as virtual mirror to the dizzying cultural contradictions at the heart of their Los Angeles hometown, wrapping it in a studio-polished veneer (largely courtesy of Santana/Ricky Martin producer KC Porter) that only underscores their intriguing reflections. They wear their civic pride as badge of honor on the gritty "City of Angels," a hip-hop-funk-fusion anthem that courses straight from the street to the stars. The joyous "La Temperatura," a tribute to the city's pro-immigrant marches of '06, picks up the local thread and weaves it into the band's longstanding social conscience, one they focus on Washington's inept response to Hurricane Katrina via the savory, N'Awlinz-meets-Norwalk swagger of "Magnolia Soul." The title track hints at a few conquered personal demons, while the sultry, Los Lobos-esque Spanish ballad "Violeta," the infectious 80s-ska-funk-meets-00s-punk-pop of "When I Close My Eyes," and the hip-hop-jarocho stew "La Segundo Mano" (featuring Queztal's Martha Gonzales on vocals) stand as vibrantly disparate testaments to the band's true range of pan-cultural musical fervor and accomplishments. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

On the surface, nothing's changed. There's the same core line-up, the same oppositional politics, the same live shows that erupt into drum-line blessed community parties, and the same devotion to polyglot urban sound clashing. But here's what's new: after 12 years of collaborative song-writing, 12 years of constant touring everywhere from Denver to Tokyo to Sydney, 12 years of supporting anti-war mobilizations and global human rights movements, 12 years of pioneering Spanish-English mash-ups of hip hop, salsa, cumbia, dub, and Middle Eastern funk, and most importantly, 12 years of facing up to internal battles and personal struggles, they've emerged anew with their fourth full-length studio album, Don't Mess With The Dragon, the band's most cohesive, polished, and joyous record to date. Don't Mess With The Dragon was written and recorded with a firm commitment to collective creation. They began writing and experimenting with songs in informal sessions in the fall of 2005 at a local Los Angeles Latino art gallery, Tropico de Nopal. Then came recording sessions in the legendary Fantasy studios in Northern California, followed by sessions at a slew of prime LA recording houses. Much of the band's renewed sense of musical collaboration comes from their relationship with their label, venerable jazz and Latin stalwarts Concord Records. Don't Mess With The Dragon is Ozo's second full length, studio offering for Concord their longest stay with a single label. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Mess With The Dragon, April 10, 2007

By 

T. Snyder "TS" (AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Don't Mess With The Dragon (Audio CD)

"Don't Mess With The Dragon" is Ozo's latest full-length studio album. I hesitate to call it "full-length" though, since it clocks in a just over a half-hour long. But I'd rather have a compact, tighter album than an overly long, drawn-out, watered-down 75-minute affair.

I would agree with some of the other reviewers that this isn't Ozo's best album. But it is still solid. It's upbeat and fun. Don't Mess with the Dragon is a party album, a feel-good record.

One complaint - the rapping is below average and has been for quite awhile now. They could really use a guest appearance by Chali 2na, of Jurassic 5, again. I could do without rap on any future Ozo albums.

Overall though, it's not mind-blowingly great, but it is good. And it's way better than 95% of the other new music you could be buying. So pick it up. It's hard to sit still and be unhappy when Ozo's coming through the speakers.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, May 3, 2007

By 

G. DeRome "minister-of-truth" (Greendale, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Don't Mess With The Dragon (Audio CD)

Per their interview in Paste magazine, Ozomatli set out to make a more commercial, more accessable CD. Most tracks on Don't Mess With The Dragon are clearly aimed at radio play and the club and party crowd. You can't knock them for trying to make some money for a change; we all know how hard that is in the current music biz.

I love Street Signs, but this CD is a bit of an embarrasment. Everything is stripped down and simplified. The songs are silly and shallow for the most part. There are couple of OK moments, but after listening to this CD for the second time I felt like I'd heard enough.

If you are new to Ozo, skip this and buy Street Signs instead. Now THAT is a great album!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Different, but still awesome, April 28, 2007

By 

M. Flanders - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Don't Mess With The Dragon (Audio CD)

I've been an Ozo fan since they were selling tapes out of the trunk of their car at the L.A. County fair oh-so-many years ago. Ozo is always changing, which is refreshing in this industry of sameness. While this is a shorter album, it's still a good, solid album. I think the best track on there would have to be "Magnolia Soul" (a fun, soulful nod to New Orleans). This album is still worth picking up, despite the weird and negative reviews from the ultra die-hards. Try it.