Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastico, January 9, 2001
I never thought my favorite rap group would be from Mexico, but along came Control Machete. I loved Mucho Barato, but after listening to Artilleria Pesada, Presente several times, I was convinced it was an even better album. The production has gotten away from that strictly Cypress Hill type style (but still retains enough for those who like it), and really encompasses a wider sound, from the hard hitting beats and rhymes of "Pesada" and "Unisono" to songs that aptly incorporate traditional Latin sounds with rap like "Ileso" and "Danzon". Fermin is a great vocalist, with his hard-hitting, gravelly voice and well-written lyrics. It's really cool being a non-native Spanish-speaker and figuring out what they say; it really adds to the experience. By the way, all these sites and even CDDB are off on the track listings. They are fine until track 6, which is a filler track, followed by (7) Ileso, (8) Desde La Tierra, (9) Esperanza, (10) Danzon, (11) Grita, (12) La Artillera, and (13) short untitled track. If you listen to the songs and their themes, this makes more sense "No se fracasa si existe un comienzo"
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hey white boy! Get some Mexican in you!, February 16, 2002
Like most of mainstream America, I was first exposed unknowingly to Control Machete through Spike Jonze's amazingly cool "Crazy Legs" Levi's commercial. Normally I go for music like "A Tribe Called Quest", "Public Enemy", and "Roots" (aside from "Roots", modern day hip-hop and rap is well below early 90's standards). Control Machete holds the record for most times I've listened to a new CD on the first day. "Mexican rap" is an exotic genre in Ohio, but this isn't just a novelty disc. Control Machete seems to really have fun doing what they do, even if middle-class white boy over here can't understand the flowing Spanish lyrics. "Pesada" starts the album with a frantic energy that permeates the rest of the 58 minute hip-grooving masterpiece. "Si Senor", while flashing images of denim in your head, will have even the most jaded elderly gentleman tapping a foot. "Presente" takes the beat down a notch for breathing room, giving you a chance to hold the one you love close to you as you prepare to be beaten over the head with the sharp lyrical stylings of "Unisono" (which I believe has the single best repeated verse in the history of song, which doesn't actually start until a minute forty in). "Instancias" would be the main song in the Control Machete led version of West Side Story (that's a good thing). A :37 second long sound sorbet cleanses the palette before "Ileso", with a sweet Mexican beat leading a very catchy song. I'm sure if I knew Spanish I'd be writing about how the word structure and rhyme scheme of "Desde la Tierra" makes Elton John look foolish, but this song just rocks. "Esperanza" is the inspired ballad of the disc, featuring the Control Machete take on longing of a beautiful woman (to my uni-lingual ear that is, I could be wrong). In a bar, drunk, with a bunch of friends: this is the shining glory that is "Danzon". "Grita" really drives home the point that this is a talented group, sounding at the same time original, yet firmly entrenched in the Control of the Machete. The almost-title track "La Artillera" disgraces American rap like Mike Tyson to his "woman friends"; P-Diddy wishes he could do something this original. In fact the whole disc, group and style should be closely examined by anyone attempting to do hip-hop or rap. Control Machete's "Artillera Pesada, Presenta..." has the originality and style needed to make the executives at Billboard wet their pants in shame.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Control Machete validates international rap, September 7, 2002
I was worried when i purchased this album, that because i barely understand any Spanish, that i would not be able to get into it. I was wrong. The production on this album is extremely inspired and every song sounds different and interesting. The music is hip-hop, but retains the Mexican flavor that makes this group so intriguing. Case in point, they rap over Latin Jazz on "Danzon" which comes off really well. Rap in Spanish also sounds really cool! And the real test is that this album sounds awesome both on my boombox and over the car stereo. This album rules from the beginning to the end, meaning that "Si, Senor" is not the only good song on the album.
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