Proxima Estación: Esperanza
The debut fromManu Chao, the former leader of French world-punksLo Mano Negra, leaned heavily on Latin America for its inspiration, but this time around he's obviously been spending time--at least in his head--in the Caribbean. Reggae rhythms abound, and the opener "Merry Blues" features some wonderfully wonky Jamaican-style brass, while "Promiscuity" takes its cue from Trinidadian calypso. Of course, this being Chao, there are plenty of playful touches--from ringing cell phones to speeded-up vocals--and inevitably there are the Latin influences throughout to remind you of what remains close to his heart ("La Primavera" in particular is a standout). But there's also some recycling from the last album, with two pieces sharing the "King of Bongo" melody, including "Mr. Bobby," his tribute to Bob Marley, and that's a little worrying. Is Manu Chao running out of inspiration? Certainly this doesn't have the freshness ofClandestino, however enjoyable it may be. If anything, it seems more of a holding action rather than a giant step forward. But sometimes that's necessary to be able to look to the future.--Chris Nickson