Send "Ozomatli " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Billboard |
 On its fifth studio album, "Fire Away," Ozomatli shows a remarkable ability to innovate with its most expansive and energetic set in years. While the opening track, "Are You Ready?," recalls the brass-infused Latin dance party that drew fans to the band's debut, the new set is full of moments that conjure up an image of a group in the studio getting excited about trying something new. The results are almost all wonderful, particularly the picture-perfect '60s funk of "45," the Southern bluesy anthem "Gay Vatos in Love" and the effects-laden ballad "Love Comes Down," with its psychedelic distorted bridge. These musical detours are what keep "Fire Away" so interesting; just when you think you've got a song--or Ozomatli--figured out, the band hits you with something new.--Ayala Ben-Yehuda...full text |
| Latimesblogs |
| Not many L.A. bands can boast of having a piece of the calendar named in their honor. But April 23 was recently designated by the city as Ozomatli Day to give props to the artistically mongrel ensemble that for 15 years has been burning holes in local dance floors – that is, when they’re not playing gala gigs for Barack and Michelle Obama, or touring as official State Department cultural ambassadors, preaching peace, love and kick-butt hip-hop/salsa beats in Myanmar, China and other places where the U.S. needs all the friends it can get. Ozomatli’s fifth studio release, “Fire Away,” delivers a characteristic 75 mph, 20-car pileup of thunderous brass and irrepressible percussion from the opening track, which demands to know, “Are You Ready?” Yes, we are and so is the band. The traditional rap against Ozomatli, even among admirers, was that its witty, elbows-out musicianship sometimes got lost in the fury of its kinetic live performances. Less raw and more unpredictable than previous albums, “Fire Away” manages to capture the band’s growing technical maturity as well as its sheer emotive energy – the light and the heat, as it were. The pun-happy “45” delivers a double-barreled blast of ‘60s Stax-style grooves and righteous, preacherly rap. “Gay Vatos In Love,” a homage to Spanish-accented brotherly bonding, mixes and matches a rockabilly vibe with a neo-psychedelic keyboard bridge, like a snappy red velour vest worn over a plaid shirt....full text |
| Allmusic |
| On first glance, it might seem odd that Los Angeles-based Ozomatli chose Tony Berg as its producer for Fire Away. Berg is usually associated with more laid-back artists from Ted Hawkins, and Aimee Mann to Bruce Hornsby and Animal Logic. Closer examination, however, also reveals he’s helmed sessions by X, Public Image, and Squeeze. Ozomatli chose Berg for one important reason: they’ve never been able to capture their live sound in a studio, and he's great at it. Berg and Ozomatli have teamed with Downtown Music/Mercer Street Records for Fire Away, and if ever there were a title that summed up a recording, this is it. Ozomatli play the most unique meld of rock, salsa, soul, hip-hop, merengue, son, rhumba, cumbia, and funk in the business. Now a septet, Ozomatli are tighter than ever. Berg manages to keep the grit and dirt in the band’s live sound while adding just enough studio ambience to make the album jump hard. The opener, “Are You Ready” is a galloping norteño-cum-mariachi meld of rock and funk in overdrive. Horns bleat, basslines pop, drums double-time, and pianos and keyboards push and shove the mix forward. That nasty, distorted bassline is the only thing that keeps it on the ground. The set shifts to the uptempo Latin soul groover “45,” with double-time rhythms, breaks by drummer Mario Calire, and some tasty Curtis Mayfield-styled guitar by Raul Pacheco. “Elysian Fields” is a mad, funky hip-hop jam with chant-and-response vocals and a chorus that’s as infectious as smallpox. “Gay Vatos in Love” marries old-school Latin soul, street corner doo wop, and early rock & roll with punchy horns, cracking snares, and five-part harmony to make a social statement that sounds like a party anthem. “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” gets the whole band into the vocal mix in a stomping Latin boogaloo jumper with plenty of early Motown chorus breaks. “Nadas por Free” marries boogaloo to hip-hop à la De La Soul, with big organic beats and killer vocals. “Cabalito” is a popping polka to close the set with a salsa-cum-cha-cha horn section. This teamed worked beautifully together here; let’s hope they do it again soon....full text |
Ozomatli lyrics
|
| ||||||||||
