Ozomatli

A solid sophomore effort from on of L.A.'s most energetic acts. Supported by an entourage of emcees (such as De La Soul on "1,2,3,4" and Common on the title track), Ozomatli give this album a stronger hip-hop feel than their eponymous debut. Tunes like "Dos Cosas Cietas" also showcase their heavy Salsa influences.

Ozomatli is, without a doubt, a great concept -- an amped-up, multi-ethnic,
boundary-obliterating, socially-conscious, musically-fluent dance party -- so why are they
only occasionally a great band? Call it too much of a good thing. On their second album,
there's no lack of energy or ideas, but, as the title unwittingly warns, the end result is a tad
anarchic. Though Chaos is heavy on the same sorts of lively Latin rhythms and b... More >

These days, rap-salsa . . . gumbo, gusado, couscous, whatever, doesn't just feel like chaos--it also feels like life ("Pa Lante," "1234") (Grade - **)