Star rating - 7/10
Seeing
Calexico play live for the first time at the Ritz this week, the disparate
styles that make up their music were much in evidence. The Arizona based band seem
to have soaked up lots of different musical influences and not decided which
ones they like best, so kept them all.
They do play some
beautiful catching soul soaring songs like Inspiracion,
with its lovely Spanish vibe and great trumpet part. And Sinner In the Sea from their latest album Algiers is also a really inspirational tune. But they swing
quickly, and a bit schizophrenically, from these more upbeat numbers to slower,
dirge like songs, and then into the realms of rock band guitar playing. Whilst Joey
Burns and John Convertino may be the driving force of the group, when ace trumpet
player and vocalist Jacob Valenzuela featured,
they truly shone.
Splitter was also lovely but the evening was a
bit uneven in tone, in part possibly a reflection of an uneven album. They did
a brilliant cover of Love's Alone Again
Or, and got the crowd tapping their toes and clapping along
enthusiastically to Guero Canelo,
only to follow it up with a really odd, downbeat ending to the evening.
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