Beck - Guero - A Review...

Beck has done it yet again. "Guero" is the latest in a long line of great releases by Beck. Whether listening to tracks "E-Pro" or "Scarecrow", these songs get into your head and won't leave. The best track (or my favorite if you prefer) is "Que' Onda Guero". Beck takes you for a stroll in some East LA neighborhood and you can almost smell the smells and picture the people as you pass them by. "See the vegetable man/ in the vegetable van/ with a horn that's honking like a mariachi band". While many critics have said that this is his new "Odelay", I would have to disagree with that. I hear why they say that, but I feel he's drawing from all his previous releases and creating a more mature record while not repeating himself. "E-Pro" would not sound out of place on "Midnite Vultures" for example, while "Earthquake Weather" could have been on "Mutations". This album has touches of all his trademarks, but doesn't sound like a clone of anything he's done before. One thing I really hear is how effortless he makes everything sound. While I still hold his masterpiece "Odelay" as a touchstone for Beck's music, this one has come closest to replacing it as my personal favorite. 4

1 = Don't purchase in the $1.00 bin at your used record store. Avoid like a plague.
2 = Only if you're desperate for new music. You need it like a hole in the head.
3 = An okay buy, probably just download the tracks you want from I-Tunes.
4 = Buy new the next time you're out and about. A fully satisfying record.
5 = Masterpiece, run and buy today!

Official Website



• beck.com