Customer Reviews

Plastic Silver 9 Volt Heart

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Iguanas' "Plastic Silver and 9 Volt Heart" (Yep Roc) is one groove-y record, laidback, loping and made for a margarita in the summer shade or a cruise with the top down. There's nothing showy to the 13 cuts here, just a remarkably varied collection of easygoing music with healthy helping of Tex Mex stew. If you only own their debut album with the rollicking "Night of Sin," this is a time to take another listen to the boys from New Orleans.

The band recorded the disc live in the studio over eight days and it shows how they've progressed over the past decade. They take the timeworn basics of down home R&B, swamp rock and Tex Mex and mix and match, creating something new that fits as comfortably as a well-worn pair of jeans. This is confidently cool music, from the first blast of "Yesterday," a pop tune born of the marriage of Morphine and The Lovin' Spoonful, through the snaking twin sax blasts of "Zacatecas" on to the shuffling ballad that is "The First Kiss Is Free" and into the guitar rock of "I Dig You."

Of course, these guys know how to play party tunes. That's why Jimmy Buffett originally signed them to his label. Just listen to the dance-along cuts, "Flame On," which recalls Los Lobos, and "The Liquor Dance," sure to become a David Lindley favorite. With their electronically altered-vocals, they sound like remnants of an old mono rave-up.

Songwriter and vocalist Rod Hodges, with help from Dave Alvin on the title cut, has tendered his best set of tunes. And the boys in the band, multi-instrumentalist Rene Coman and Joe Cabral, tenor saxman Derek Huston and drummer Doug Garrison have conjured up a soundtrack for the summer.

Buy this album. NOW! ??? Because, if you don't but it now, you will be kicking yourself later because it went of print so quickly or became instantly unavailable, unless nefarious means of obtention are your specialty. Try getting their album "Superball" now....There are 3 great kick start songs offering immediate listening pleasure. The balance all slip-slide into your daily routine ("...just like "Mexican Candy"..)through the bottom heavy groove that weaves its way thoughtout a finely produced album. No tinkley sounds here; these guys brood with the best of them.

I have been an iguanas fan since 1993. I have all of their albums,and I believe this might be their best album yet!I was very excited see that the new record was coming out. Although,as said in the reviews, this is a departure from previous albums, but certainly not a radical departure.It still has that signiture tex-mex sound. This is an absolutly delightful listen from start to finish.I highly reccomend this album.

I am a new Iguanas fan with this album. The track "Mexican Candy" moves between spanish and english seamlessly with the sweetest sax solo in the middle. Lyrics are sublime and the instrumentals are sweet and well-placed. Well produced, with a great sound, I would highly recommend this to anyone with an hankering for rockabilly and a new orleans sound without a heavy zydeco beat. Listen to the samples and check out the great lyrics and cool vibe from these guys.

This CD is a far cry from the stale, assembly line, corporate generated music of mall land America. If there is any justice in the music industry this will be a grammy nominated album. But if history continues to repeat itself, that will not be the case. In any event, I hope these talented individuals will keep making music for a long time to come!! I'm telling all my friends about this CD. It will be a long time before it's removed from my player. What a treasure!!!

It's been four long years since The Iguanas' last studio release; and that one, the self-produced Sugar Town, followed its predecessor by three long years. Clearly this band has grown and evolved in that time. Long time fans won't be disappointed by the band's excursions in new territory. While new listeners will hear something rare in today's music: great songs delivered with deep feeling by the artists who conceived them.

My first exposure to the Iguanas was when they opened for Los Straitjackets in Atlanta; and after seeing their opening set, I wondered how the 'jackets could follow them up - they were that good live. Their blend of styles & instrumentation is terrific. So after special-ordering '9-Volt', my hopes were high. It has some great songs - the title track is especially wonderful. But there are a handful of throwaways - notably 'Flame On' and 'I Dig You' - which have such predictable lyrics, and are so 'rhymey' they draw a wince at every listen. The Spanish language songs and the instrumental sections are terrific, but the singing in English is often trite, and even the studio tricks used to beef up the vocals still can't quite make them sound more than overly conventional.

The Iguanas mellowed over the years. While this album isn't quite as energetic as their first four releases, it still contains a tasty stew of Tex-Mex, New Orleans second line, and 50s r&b sensibilities, with a little more rootsy-ness stirred in this time.

(Speaking of their first four releases, it seems that #3 (Super Ball) and #4 (Sugar Town) are not currently available on Amazon. That's too bad, as they may be the Iguana's best work.)

Anyway, back to 9-Volt Heart. The guys had matured a bit by the turn of the millennium, and this album is full of generally quieter songs with insistent grooves that don't try to impress but do so anyway. The vibe here is more laid back than before, more of a lazy afternoon than a Saturday night party. The songwriting was probably their best to date. Add in better musicianship and different sound textures, and you have yourself a groovy, laid-back, excellent album.

I first heard the song "Mexican Candy" while hitch-hiking in the Virgin Islands. As soon as I got home state side I tried to find out who the artist was based solely on the lyrics I could remember. Turns out only about 3 of their 7 albums are available on iTunes. Here on Amazon was the only place I could find this album at a reasonable price.
This album is the perfect chill album to relax to. Do yourself a favor and buy it.

Plastic Silver 9 Volt Heart is a fun listen with a Tex Mex rock jazz intertwined within love ballads and dance music. The band is great to see live and has their own web site for more info. Check them out!