palabras ARACELI CRUZ

After a six year lull, never has the line “highly anticipated” been so true than with La Radiolina, Manu Chao’s second U.S. studio release.

Granted Manu Chao has released a live album, but after the massive success of “Me Gustas Tú,” off the 2001 album Proxima Estacion: Esperanza and his first extensive U.S. American Tour this year, the desire for new material was great.

Manu Chao also had a rousing performance at this year’s Coachella Music Festival which gave audiences a glimmer of fresh songs from La Radiolina.

And the results are exactly what we’d expect from the diverse tastes of Manu Chao. La Radiolina cultivates the rawness of rock, ska, reggae, punk and is heightened by his French and Spanish heritage. The album is a multi-lingual, themed gem with a well-crafted flow.

Manu Chao, who first began his musical career as leader of Mano Negra in the early ‘80s, delivers an exceptional, textured album with a contained musical guitar riff throughout (as he did with Proxima Estacion: Esperanza).

The first single “Rainin In Paradize” exposes Manu Chao as true punk rocker. In “Tristeza Maleza” Manu Chao gives President Bush a scathing lyric, telling him that God is watching everything. Other highlights include the sweet, flamenco-esque ballad “Otro Mundo,” the folky tune “Amalucada Vida” and the hyper-active “El Hoyo.”

Manu Chao’s sound composes a global beat that cannot be executed by any other artist as magically as he can. This inventive music maker goes beyond breaking boundaries, he finds the similarities and unites them.