Rei Momo

by

David Byrne

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This album contains one of pop music's most double-take inducing opening lines (find out for yourself). Soon, though, the lyrics blend amazingly with the rich latin-hued music that dominates the entire album. The fun never lets up until the meditative and insect-accompanied 'I Know Sometimes A Man is Wrong' closes the party.

This wasn't really David Byrne's first 'solo' album. But since he released it after the Talking Heads' rather anti-climactic breakup (no farewell tour or big press releases accompanied this sad event, but perhaps it surprised no one) the album easily gets subsumed this way (1985's all-solo - i.e., no Brain Eno - 'Music for the Knee Plays' technically fulfills this function; this unjustifiably still remains unreleased on CD).

When 'Rei Momo' came out in 1989 some critics complained that Byrne had left his Talking Heads heritage behind. They wanted more 'Cities', 'Once in a Lifetime', and 'Psycho Killer' (who can blame them?). But this release should not have come as too much of a surprise given the Talking Heads' latin pop-tinged final album, 'Naked'. 'Rei Momo' completes the structure that 'Naked' began building. Many said it then: Byrne has gone 'latin loco'.

David Byrne fans will recognize his style in every song, regardless of the musical tone. Though the off-kilter 'Independence Day' may initially throw some listeners for a loop. Give it time, give it time.

The energy never lets up. From 'Independence Day's' beautiful and surprising violin solo the beats roll and tumble at you, inspiring wiggly behavior humans often associate with dancing and joy. This is a very musically happy album. Dance.

Inspired by the South American pop Byrne featured on his Luaka-Bop albums (The 'Brazil Classics' series, Tom Zé, etc.), 'Rei Momo' explodes with horns, shakers, graters, congas, plucky guitars, sprightly piano, violins, the occassional Portugese phrase, open-throated wailing, and even Celia Cruz. Despite the influence David Byrne permeates this album.

Some have complained that Byrne horribly misunderstood and misrepresented the rhythyms and music that inspired this album. The song list also includes 'styles' in parentheses (e.g., 'Cumbia', 'Merengue', 'Samba', 'Pagode', etc). Maybe he did. This might bother latin music aficionados, but David Byrne fans probably won't bat an eye. Not to mention that it's very possible that 'Rei Momo' opened a new musical world for many listeners in the United States. Those who didn't go out and pick up some home-grown Brazilian or South American pop after hearing this probably weren't paying attention. Though 'Rei Momo' didn't cause a latin-pop music explosion in the USA (radio stations mostly ignored it), at least Byrne tried. It remains and will always be an amazing effort and a great album from start to finish.

byrne, como otros compositores-cantantes ( paul simon) trata de copiar algo de diversos ritmos latinos, mezclandolos con rock, y no se que mas... el resultado final es malo.

Los bellos ritmos que el desconoce, se transforman en una mala parodia de si mismos.

No cabe duda de que byrne ama esta musica, pero este intento de hacerla mas accesible a otros pueblos- como si la buena musica no fuera de por si universal- le hace perder su caracter mas fuerte resultando un hibrido.

Mejor hubiera hecho como PETER GABRIEL que promociona las grandes musicas e interpretes de todo el mundo sin querer apropiarse de su historia.

Cualquier interprete callejero de los paises a los que byrne deforma su musica , lo hace mucho mejor.

Puede gustarles a los que no conocen o no aprecian los ritmos originales, o creen que con este tratamiento destructor los " culturiza".

Byrne debe dedicarse a la musica que conoce que lo hace muy bien y dejar estos ritmos para los que los han heredado y mantenido vivos.

Un ejemplo claro es que la musica cubana, con la ayuda invalorable de ry cooder triunfo en todo el mundo sin que el se la apropiara o intentara hacerla mas bailable o comercial.

NO SE PUEDE GLOBALIZAR LA CULTURA, UNA MUSICA CADA VEZ MAS IGUAL EN TODO EL MUNDO NOS EMPOBRECE A TODOS.

Pienso que los que aman y sienten la musica (latina o no) en todas sus ricas expresiones podran sentirlo asi