Ozomatli

Strip away the alternative/indie, guitar-oriented side of Los Angeles music and Ozomatli's pretty much got the rest covered: cumbia, James Brown-funk, dancehall, rap and hip-hop, Latin salsa, you name it. The thing is they play them all well and, even more importantly, are capable of fusing them so organically the final result sounds fresh and like nothing but Ozomatli.

One trait the band shares with its alternative L.A. brethren/sistren is a willingness to play live anywhere and everywhere. This self-produced four-song EP preceded their first regular disc and probably served as both a valentine for grass-roots fans, and a calling card to show label execs that Ozomatli's vibrant live sound would work as well in the studio and on disc as it did on-stage. All four songs on Ya Llego! are reprised on the group's eponymous Almo debut with only a few minimal tweaks to the arrangements, but these are among Ozomatli's best tunes. "Super Bowl Sundae" does drag a little tempo-wise and lacks the snap of its later incarnation. The best may be the buoyant "Como Ves," written by Jesus "Chuy" Perez of Umbral, a great little band from L.A.'s largely invisible, totally un-heralded Spanish language music scene in the '80s (Ozomatli didn't come totally out of nowhere, you know).

There's a touch of electric guitar here from Raúl Pacheco, and the sound quality is better on Ozomatli, but not by that much. Ya Llego! isn't essential, but has value as a document of the first recordings by (arguably) the most important L.A. band of the late '90s. ~ Don Snowden, All Music Guide