Fabulosos Cadillacs, La Marcha Del Golazo Solitario (BMG Latin) 9+
Argentina's Fabulosos Cadillacs' previous album, Fabulosos Calavera enjoyed so much crossover success and even won a Grammy partly because of the distinctly American styles it assimilated, including ska and heavy metal. La Marcha Del Golazo Solitario was an even more ambitious, with its eclecticism more tightly woven into the mix, sometimes jumping between three genres in one song, like Fishbone mixed with Mothers Of Invention. This is too much for your average lunkhead to follow, and the album was largely ignored. Steadfast fans are rewarded with the Fabulosos' most accomplished, adventurous playing of their career. One of the most pleasant surprises is "Cebolla, el nadador," straight from an early 70's blaxploitation soundtrack, complete with strings, horns, organ and wah-wah guitar. There are more traditional songs, such as the tango-inflected "La Vida." There seems to be more of everything -- more ballads (even a Beatlesque ballad, "Roble") and more jazz. "C.J." is pure lounge jazz, while the title track pays tribute to Thelonius Monk. Even better is the Mahavishnu Orchestra electro-jazz fusion of "La Rosca," and "Negra," which recalls Chick Corea's Return To Forever mixed with Santana. They don't stop there. "57 Almas" is straight piano-driven jazz that incorporates a twisted improvised bass line worthy of Jaco Pastorius. It seems the next logical step will be to tackle John Zorn.
