July 14, 2007

Who can throw down references to Emiliano Zapata, Victor Jara and Che Guevara on the opening track of an album and make it sound like a war cry for the most fun party of revolutionaries ever? Though the B-Side Players' first release on Concord Records—home to the similarly motivated Ozomatli —is deadly serious about lifting up La Raza, the music is never secondary to the message. Singer Karlos Paez is a convincing reggae balladeer in the vein of Bob Marley, but with versatile guitar work from Quetzal Flores and top-notch brass and percussion from the band, he can flow seamlessly to cumbias, Afrobeat and funk. Highlights include the jarocho track "El Comal" and funky "Unplug This Armageddon," which somehow manages to sound sexy while denouncing everything from war to radio to political corruption.—Ayala Ben-Yehuda

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