Opening with a real Latino party vibe, you get the impression that you’re going to be in for a good, fun time with Ozomatli’s new record Fire Away. The band fuses a mixture of genres and styles to create their own style which they have been playing now for over fifteen years. Elements of jazz, ska, reggae, hip hop, salsa, funk, pop and rock are all meshed and intertwined through the eleven tracks.
The band tap into some old school 70’s funk with ‘Elysian Persuasion’ before toning it down on the acoustic track ‘It’s Only Time’. That is what is so great about this album: with so many styles and influences, the band make it work in their favour. Every song fits. And before you realise it, the album draws to a close with the Spanish fiesta, ’Caballito’.
Underneath the party vibe lies some serious social undertones. The topic of greed comes up on ‘It’s Only Paper’ and homosexuality is brought up on 60’s pop inspired ‘Gay Vatos In Love’ with the mantra “if the world can understand, stand by your man.”
The good times roll through the album. The core seven members have created probably their best and most varied album to date. This would’ve been the perfect summer beach album had it come out a few months ago, regardless, this is such an infectious album you’ll find yourself playing it over and over again and feel good for doing it.
Fire Away is available now. Find it on iTunes.
