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Published
by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Ozomatli: 3 years, 1 album
Label-defying musicians return with politics intact
By Brendan Walsh
Caller-Times
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Ozomatli's 'Embrace the Chaos' will hit music store shelves today.
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Ozomatli bassist Wil-Dog Abers knows fans have been clamoring for a follow-up album ever since his group released its self-titled debut more than three years ago. Like the ketchup commercial says, good things come to those who wait.
What people don't understand, Wil-Dog says, is that the first record also took about three years to make, and he's not about to release a substandard product.
"We're not going to put out something that's not as dope - it's got to be better. That's why it took so long," he said.
"Embrace the Chaos" will hit music store shelves today.
Though four members left the band between albums, Ozomatli's signature sound remains intact. Like its predecessor, the new disc fuses hip-hop, samba, salsa, English, Spanish, singing and rapping into a rock 'n' roll delight that's hard to classify but easy to groove to.
Rappers Common, Will.I.Am of The Black Eyed Peas and Pos and TruGoy of De La Soul make guest appearances, but unlike so many albums being released these days, the visiting rappers don't seem like an ill-conceived marketing ploy - they all seem to be on the same beat as the band.
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Paul Iverson/Caller-Times
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After a three-year wait, Ozomatli's second album, 'Embrace the Chaos,' a blend of samba, rap, singing and rock 'n' roll, should be in music stores today.
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"We don't really work the whole marketing angle," Wil-Dog said. Will.I.Am has always been a friend of the band, and members simply asked Common and De La Soul if they wanted to contribute and they jumped at the opportunity, Wil-Dog said.
Common adds his rhymes to the disc's title track, which was written about the band's experience playing at the protest outside the Democratic National Convention in July of 2000.
The group's lyrics touch on politics throughout the album, and its Web site provides links to organizations like Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the United Farm Workers.
Politics is "something we always challenge ourselves to be a part of," Wil-Dog said. "We know that we can contribute to the struggle, so we do that with our music."
Contact Brendan Walsh at _886-3763 or walshb@caller.com
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