Ozomatli

Ozomatli | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 16, 1998)
• Original Release Date: June 16, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Almo Sounds
• ASIN: B000007Q93
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,334 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #6 in Music > Latin Music > Urban > Latin Hip-Hop
  • #11 in Music > World Music > Middle East > General
  • #11 in Music > World Music > Middle East > General AAS

Track Listings

1. Como Ves

2. Cut Chemist Suite

3. Cumbia De Los Muertos

4. Donde Se Fueron?

5. Eva

6. O Le Le

7. Chango

8. Super Bowl Sundae

9. Aqui No Sera

10. Chota

11. Coming War

12. La Misma Cancion

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Multiculti Los Angeles-based 10-piece Ozomatli is more than the sum of their parts: hip-hop, salsa, and funk crash head-on in this surprisingly natural collaboration. Their self-titled debut makes Ozomatli sound like one of the world's great live shows--a party band with a brain--and they pull it off deftly. Rapper Chali 2na ("Charlie Tuna," get it?) has an authoritative voice and a way with words, mixing references from Edie Brickell to Ed McMahon; just he and the Cut Chemist (both of Jurassic 5), who lends his turntable skills to the proceedings, would make for an entertaining album. But it's the way that the two--when they're even featured--build on and blend into the grooves of the wah-pedal-and-brass-section-powered ensemble that sets Ozomatli apart. Danceable and engaging, they've made a promising debut. --Randy Silver

Review

Ozomatli's 11 multihued Angelenos bring the notion to life. Drawing on Cali tradition of Latin-funk big bands like Malo, Azteca, and War ... Ozo combine Chicano protest ethos, the unstoppable power of ska, and, with the lab-wrecking virtuosity of DJ Cut Chemist, leading-edge hip hop. -- Vibe

This L.A. band's lineup may not be solely Latin ... but there is the joy of a great block party and the kind of unbending toast to the human spirit that makes the group a worthy descendant of [Los] Lobos. -- The Los Angeles Times

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars El Primo para Ozo April 11, 2002

By M. Swinney

Format:Audio CD

I bought the Ozomatli complete output of 2 CD's backwards, first "Embrace the Chaos" and next their self-titled debut. Of the two, it's hard to say which is better...it's a toss-up. It's pretty much a non-stop party with a world tour throughout the album sometimes making disparate stops all within the same song...but it works wonderfully.

There is hip-hop, ska, reggae, jazz, flamenco, funk, salsa, mariachi, eastern tinge, western energy, you name it, its here. The prevailing flavors though are a variety of Latino styles across the board and street hip-hop. The production and sound is actually better on this CD vice their second release "Embrace the Chaos". But the hip hop for me is more alive on "Embrace the Chaos."

Standout tracks are "Como Ves", "Super bowl Sundae", and "Cut Chemist Suite." It's difficult to remain in your seat when these are playing. Ozomatli just has a good feel to the music. Go buy this and wear it well...all around the world.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ozomatli is a band with potential! January 23, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

I decided to buy this CD based on all the positive reviews that it recieved and all the "Top 10 Albums of 1998" lists it appeared on. I was expecting to hear some great music and when I finally bought the CD, I wasn't disappointed! I have a new favorite band! Ozomatli is truly awesome and their mix of several different musical and cultural styles is outstanding! I LOVE IT! Too bad the small, microscopic fraction of people who don't like the album can't appreciate real music. From what I hear, the band is even better live. I've never seen them live yet (I'm a newcomer to the Ozomatli bandwagon), but I would jump at the chance to see them. This album is simply the best one I've heard in years. This ain't no tired pop music stuff, this is the music of the 21st Century! Ozomatli definitely has potential. If they can remain consistent in making great music from the heart and staying real, then they will enjoy a long and successful career. I hope to see Ozomatli still rocking the house 25 years from now!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Such a refreshing change October 6, 2003

By "gavvyb"

Format:Audio CD

As a fan of J-5, the release of this album made sense, in that Jurassic 5 make a point of putting their music first and image last. Ten piece band 'Ozomatli' seem to work perfectly in tandem with Chali 2na an Cut Chemist, blending all of their styles so well that it sounds as if this is how hiphop should be- a fusion of a wide variety of styles. When this album came out, i would listen to it over and over again, and because of the albums' diversity, it never felt tiresome. It is very difficult to put into words how successful this collaboration is, buy it and you will understand. For those who dont want to buy it, download track such as:
cut chemist suite, o le le and cumbia de los muertos

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Son de la tierra May 13, 2002

By Kazwailah

Format:Audio CD

When I saw Ozo on Conan O'Brien, I was so impressed with a huge (13 piece?) band playing hip hop that I bought the CD the next day. At first I really only got into the rap tracks with Chali 2na. The reason at the time was that I didn't understand Spanish. But after learning spanish over the course of a couple of years in Sudamerica, I gave it another listen and saw the true musicianship that went into this album. Buy it for the message, and if you don't always understand the words, buy it for la pura musica.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Astounding March 11, 2004

By Costas D

Format:Audio CD

This is one of the best Latino cd's I am proud to play in my rotation 6 years after the album was released. I first heard Ozomatli when they opened for Santana in Montreal and I was like woah! I was on my feet dancing throughout their opener. They were so pumped and hyped that no matter what mood you are in they just get you in this partying and dancing mood that you cannot resist. If you are the kind of person who loves those smooth Latino beats blended with a bit of everything for an ultimate summer driving cd be sure to pick this up!!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Eclectic Music + Uncompromisingly Dope Lyrics = Ozomatli May 6, 2000

By Benjamin Golder-Novick

Format:Audio CD

Yo, this band is dope! Imagine a group of ten musicians, with guitars and a horn section, that is deeply rooted in Latin music, but also jams on funk, ska, and hip-hop.Now add a rapper and a dj to this group, making it extra funky. This, my friends, is Ozomatli. Man, these cats can GROOVE! Another spice to these tunes are the lyrics- which are both in English and Spanish- and convey themes of human rights, rebellion, community, and revolution. It's kinda like a combination of Santana, the Roots, and Rage against the Machine. Ah, who am I kidding? Ozo is in a class by itself. These guys have got talent, energy, and creativity. When you hear the music, you automatically move to the beat. My personal fav's on this album are tracks 2, 6, 8, and 11. So check this band out, yo, and I guarantee that your soul will be lifted. Viva la Revolution!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Chaotic, spirited, spontaneous--absolutely alive. June 18, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

As lucky L.A. residents have known several years now, Ozomatli's performances are chaotic, spirited, spontaneous--absolutely alive, and though it must have been quite a challenge to capture that here, this CD does so brilliantly. Completely bilingual, Ozomatli moves freely back and forth from Spanish to English without batting an eye (except perhaps to wink once in a while), and a list of musical elements these guys mix could go on and on: salsa, rap, dub, reggae, cumbia, banda, samba, funk, hip hop, Indian, African, world, etc. Take for example "Cumbia de los muertos," which starts off with a fairly normal cumbia groove laid out complete with high stacatto horns, then segues effortlessly into a thick reggae/dub section with rapping and spacey ambient turntable samples, then somehow works its way back to the cumbia--and it all makes sense. The African sound of "Como Vez" is infectuously danceable, as are the salsa/Afro-Cuban grooves of "Donde se fueron," "Eva," and "O le le." Chali 2na's rapping voice is resonant, warm, his style replete with intelligent, complex rhythmic structures-his is that all-too-rare commodity in the rapping world: a voice actually used as a real instrument in itself, complimenting perfectly the Latin-flavored funk of songs like "Superbowl Sundae," "Chota," and the 70s-flashback/homage, "Coming War." Other songs are simply great raucous fun, perfect party songs--"La misma cancion," "Chango," and the opening of "Como Ves," are perfect examples. Throughout all their material, though, there is a deep, profound humanity and compassion, a seriousness about their work, a love for life, that makes this band one of the greats.... Proof positive that the future--and present--state of US culture and music depends more on its place in the larger Latin American continent, and in the world community beyond that, than many seem to realize or admit. Read more ›