Sampling: Manu Chao - La Radiolina

MANU CHAO
La Radiolina
Nacional Records 2007

By Nick McGregor

Manu Chao gave credence to the emerging Latin alternative movement in the 1980s as a member of Mano Negra, but simply relegating him to the Spanish-speaking scene neglects about 3/4 of his personality. Born in Paris to Spanish parents, Chao also sings in Portuguese, French, and English, and has cultivated a global-citizen image that allows him to fit in no matter where he travels. Whether it be supporting Spanish anarchist organizations, sympathizing with leftist South American rebels, or embodying the plight of France’s immigrants, Chao has successfully broken down national boundaries on his way to international success.

That success came initially with 1999’s Clandestino, which slowly made its way across the Atlantic and infected American listeners with its hodge-podge of influences and themes. Clandestino was Chao’s last studio album until 2007’s La Radiolina, which finds the globe-trotting musician resting on his reputation for repetitive melodies and simple, spoken-word vocals. Highlights of the latest album include the bluesy, Dylan-esque guitar of “13 Dias,” the mariachi love song feeling of “Me Llaman,” and the Caribbean atmosphere of “La Vida Tombola,” but where Chao’s earlier albums flirted with musical genres as far-ranging as salsa, dub, and Afro-punk, La Radiolina unfortunately finds itself bogged down in monotonous imitation. Several songs musically repeat themselves (“Bleeding Clown,” “Y Ahora Que?”, “Rainin In Paradize,” and “Otro Mundo” all share the same riff), and instead of creating atmospheric continuity, by the end of the album’s 21 songs, the whole affair sounds like a broken record player. But beautiful moments of instrumentation do emerge, especially on “Piccola Radiolina,” and Chao’s trademark confrontational lyrics get their airtime on “Politik Kills” and “Panik Panik.” Unfortunately those peaks are not enough to lift up the La Radiolina valleys. But anyone creating music in four different languages deserves some applause, and Chao’s Radio Bemba Sound System live show is nearly legendary in the United States (if for nothing else than only appearing a handful of times each year in New York and Los Angeles). Bottom line, if you’re looking for a little unfamiliar world beat to spice up your life, La Radiolina is a great starting point. But in-the-know Manu Chao fans will agree: this 46-year-old may only be descending from the pinnacle of Clandestino.