Rock & Roll Yo

If his previous album seemed to be a comeback for Charly Garcia himself, after years of being eclipsed by his alter ego, Say No More, Rock and Roll Yo finds the latter back in action. That means that this album is driven by a fuzzy and experimental sensibility. So it seems that this work won't stop the controversy about whether he still has the touch or whether he's completely lost. There are 11 songs on this album, but this is a bit tricky because there are two versions of "Asesiname," two versions of "V.S.D." (one is called "Tango" and, as the title suggests, represents Garcia's peculiar approach to the tango style), and two covers. He has a special ability to take someone else's songs and to make them sound like his own. He did it on his previous record with Todd Rundgren's "Influenza" and he does it again on this album. His Spanish version of "Pretty Ballerina" is superb, while his version of Stevie Wonder's "Love's in Need of Love Today" (here renamed "Wonder") is outstanding. Despite the range of Garcia's talent, Rock and Roll Yo is only occasionally successful. It's fun, but not much more. ~ Ivan Adaime