Reviews (page 4 of 7)
This album is too all over the place. There's maybe one or two fun songs.
Not generally my thing, but the percussion on this album is amazing
Unexpected and welcomed. An interesting mix of stuff that I had never heard of before, which is all I really want from this project (3.5/5)
Here's a street sign for you: STOP. In other words, stop making music; you're not good at it.
Not for me
Frankly a mess. Is this Latin, hip hop, rap - it’s all and none. The lyrics are corny. Simply not my thing. 1/5
Love Ozomatli, but hadn't heard this album before. Great fusion of sound styles.
Erratic and chaotic. I don't think it knows what it wants to be. Is it a party album? Is it a political album? Is it funk? is it hiphop? Is it pop? Is it rock? I don't think anybody knows. Just too all over the place for me.
wow, this was fun. i don't know if it would've hit the same if i didn't have a 5+ album string of boring dreck before it, but this was like a tropical drink on a hot day. super fun and dancey and just enjoyable to listen to!!
damn this album slaps, idk what everyone in the comments is on about. fun songs, interesting instrumentation, great mix of english and spanish tracks. also, chali 2na is great on this and i recognized his voice immediately from his work with linkin park. favorites: all but tracks 8-11
A peppy, Latin-sounding album, 'Street Signs,' will keep you awake for a long car drive. This album has songs that will fit most movie's Cuban scenes. A good horn sound elevates this three star album. Top tracks: "Who's to Blame," "Believe," "Cuando Canto"
This was fun as hell! Enjoyed it quite a bit, the eclectic overtones were tons of fun and loved going thru different styles. Great lyrics and fantastic vibes throughout. Solid ass 3.
--Believe...interesting! --Love and Hope...solid groove --Street Signs...the groove continues --(Who Discovered) America?...a little cheesy --Who's To Blame...is that a melodica? it's dope. great flow --Te Estoy Buscando...not my cuppa --Saturday Night...It's decent. I like when the distorted guitar comes in --Dejame en Paz...directed by Robert Rodriguez --Santiago...I appreciate classical guitar where I can get it. piano groove is nice, too --Ya Viene el Sol...is that Don Callis at the beginning? can't be --Dona Isabelle...piano interlude --Nadie Te Tira...something with more prog elements. I might like it more if this album weren't already running a little long. --Cuando Canto...we close with a ballad. it's nice but could easily be a minute shorter
quite good
it was ok!!
This album is not available to listen anywhere where I live, so……. (Yeah idk I found some tracks on YouTube, sounds interesting!) Actual rating: ★★½ (Neutral ground)
Ozomantil didn't upload this album on YouTube, strangely enough. (Turns out they did, but it's not available.) I managed to track down most of the songs. The songs I found are excellent, and "Street Signs" deserves its spot on the list. This is the first time I didn't have a complete album to listen to. 4 stars for "Street Signs". (I'll buy a CD of it one day)
believe who discovered america
boring and performative, feels like it inspired the worst of Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Sorry I never gave these guys a chance at the time - even saw them live as one of the the openers for DMB at Soldier Field in 2000. I remember they had fun energy, but it wasn't something I was going to run home to buy. This is a fun bounce. It's trapped in early 2000's pop/rap/latin that was super popular at the time - J Lo, Enrique Iglesias mashed with Jurassic 5 (cue Chalie 2na on Who's To Blame), Black Eyed Peas, etc. That makes it feel a little generic listening to it for the first time, but it also still makes it an enjoyable, familiar listen.
Rating: 6/10 An eclectic album that does not blow the listener away in any way, shape, or form. Just a good album from start to finish.
This one really took my breath away. Definitely worth a listen.
This one was a lot cooler than I expected. I hit play thinking I’d check it out once and move on, but I ended up running through the whole thing again right after. It’s got a great mix of energy and flow that keeps you hooked. “Love and Hope” stood out right away, catchy without being cheesy, and “Who Discovered America” hit just as hard with its mix of sound and meaning. Both of those tracks really carried the album for me, but the rest wasn’t filler either—it all kept the vibe going. Overall, Street Signs is the kind of album that sneaks up on you. Fun to listen to, easy to replay, and strong enough that I’d come back to it again. Favorite song: Love and Hope
Probably one I should relisten to at some point, I didn't really give it as much attention as some of these other albums. I liked "Doña Isabelle" the best from this, otherwise the songs all kind of blended into each other.
I dug this. So many different styles and sounds and it’s all really well done. I am interested in the history of the band / creative process.
So many different styles and influencs, and it all kind of works. I really enjoyed this all the way through, not sure id go back to it but really interesting record
I found each song to be an interesting pivot from the song before.
This was pretty fun. Songs like "Saturday Night" (hey, I know that one!) and "Ya Vienne El Sol" really had me bopping my head. The instrumentation is interesting, I think this is an evolution of what Santana (the original lineup) would have become. A couple of the tunes overstayed their welcome by a minute or two, but for the most part it was a fun album to listen to. Top tracks: "Saturday Night," "Te Estoy Buscando"
I liked the album when it first started out - Believe sounded like Latin meets Middle Eastern. By the end I was bored, and didn't really care for the Latin rap rock or whatever it was. I started skipping ahead through songs and didn't really feel like giving it another listen.
Wasn't sure what to make of this album. One moment it sounds Middle Eastern, then it's rap, then it's salsa/Latino jazz, then it's Latin Rock, then it's Santana, then it's jazz fusion...it's not bad, it's just all over the place. The band is clearly really good and the recording quality is excellent, I'm just not sure why it made this list (and it has since been removed). Nothing bad, just nothing I'd revisit. Favorite tracks: Believe, Saturday Night, Ya Viene el Sol (great drums). By the way, when they were playing more Latino Rock style, I kept thinking of the Austin-based band Vallejo. Check them out - Alternative Tejano hard rock, much cooler than this album. I recommend either Into the New or Stereo.
Like a beach Ricky Martin with the occasional Indian flair mixed in
App link only has one song
SPANISH DAD ROCK WITH RAP?? Sign me up. Great concept but not super memorable in the end.
Ass
Not for me. 1/5
Good blend of world cafe with some hip hop.
This doesn’t really work for me. Not sure how exactly to explain why. Some good songs, but the ways it’s experimental just feel chaotic and the rapping feels mostly cheesy. Also, I hate Saturday night. I don’t know why I know this song, but it makes me irrationally angry. I don’t think I ever would have liked it, but it must have been in a sports video game or something when I was in high school and listened to it a thousand times to build this degree of aversion
Dos temas que no encuentro por ningun lado. Encima debe ser el primer álbum con letras en Español. Es increíble como te alejas un cacho de la anglósfera y todo suena más humano. Nota: 3.7
Decent album. It's pretty fun at times. I like the energy and the mix of genres. Kind of bland at times though. Also I'm tired so that impacts my experience.
This tries to sound all serious and talk about "the revolution", but the music sounds like it's for babies.
nossa senhora mano eu devo ser mto amargurado mesmo 100% serj tankian fazendo world music estranha
TIVE QUE BAIXAR O SOULSEEK PRA ACHAR ESSE AQUI COM A TRACKLIST CERTINHA VAI TOMAR NO CUUUUUUUUUUU achei que seria rap rock pela primeira música. mas não eh exatamente, graças a deus eh uma mistureba né, hip hop com (o que os gringo chamam de) música latina????? mas não eh tao ruim qto eu achei que seria não, mas tbm nao eh lá aquelas coisa
I kinda didn't want to like this - it's a bit cheesy and silly. But man is it easy to listen to. I feel like I could put this on most days, most times of the day, for most people, and we would all feel like we had a good time.
I'm not familiar with Ozomatli or this album, but that's a really interesting album cover. I have no idea what this album is going to sound like, but I'm excited to dive into this and find out what it's all about! Street Signs was a very pleasant surprise. The album’s sound was really unique, with excellent guitars, strings, and percussion throughout every track. Other than Santana, I can’t think of anything else I’ve ever heard that has such a fusion of Latin elements and contemporary rock music. As much as I enjoyed the instrumentation, I wasn’t a big fan of the songs that featured rapping vocals. This isn’t the type of album that I normally gravitate towards, and it’s not the sort of thing that I’d fire up again, but it was a fun experience to listen to something so new and otherworldly to my ears. Some notes on individual songs: I loved that opening guitar on "Believe." The strings complimented the guitar really well, and the bass groove was excellent. I really dug this sound, and after hearing that opening track, I was hoping that this unique fusion would continue. The strings made another appearance on "Love and Hope," and I really dug it. Excellent vocals and energy, and I liked the trumpet too. “America" was pretty good too. I liked the horns and guitar playing, and the songwriting was excellent "Saturday Night" sounded incredibly familiar, but I can't put my finger on where I've heard it. I loved the harder and deeper sound, and the percussive elements were excellent. I don't mind the rapping here as much, mostly because the music is so good. The percussion on "Dejame En Paz" was excellent, and I liked the turntable scratching too. I loved the strings and percussion on “Cuando Canto.” This might be my favorite track on the album, and I thought it was a beautiful way to close this album. Listening to Street Signs was a really fun and unique experience. It’s not completely my cup of tea, but it was well worth my time today.
Quite liked this actually. Any Chali 2na gets my vote
Interesting mix here
There was a track with a rapper, who I’d swear was the kid from Chocolate Rain.
Where did this come from?!? What a rush! Color and rhythm. Latin funk, hip hop, and protest. It’s damn near perfect. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions: - Believe - Love And Hope - (Who Discovered) America? - Te Estoy Buscando - Saturday Night
This wasn’t good. It’s kind of a blessing it’s so hard to find.
This is on me, but i struggled to engage with this due to its lack of availability. I found it on youtube, but it kept cutting out and being bombed by ads. What i heard was perfectly fine, but i wasnt able to focus on it and thats my bad
Very cool hybrid of Latin, Rock, Hip Hop, and Middle Eastern sounds. Worth a spin in the future for sure. Strong vocals, and big rock guitars. Very catchy songwriting with some very memorable and singable choruses. I’ve listened to the album 3 times which is very unusual for me with this challenge.
Not every song was available on spotify/youtube (though 90% were), but I liked it based on the ones that were.
couldn’t listen to whole album, only 2 songs on spotify and 9 on youtube. Anyway album is decent, Santiago is a peak song, why can’t i spotify it :( Believe is also pretty good. Not normally down my alley but pretty good for a different genre
Decent
Only "Believe" and "Love and Hope" were available on Spotify? Mix of Latin, hip-hop, funk and reggae. "Believe" sounds like something ethnical you would hear at Eurovision, and would not receive a high score unless it is performed by Ukraine. "Love and Hope" was catchy, reminiscent of 2000s and 2010s Spanish-inspired pop hits, but nothing memorable.
Mostly not very interesting. Some interesting tracks, like "Déjame en Paz", though.
8/10
Latin flavours, but bland as all hell, no spices, no sizzle, just elevator muzak style beats with weak bars over the top.
SO FIRE OW OW IT BURNS!!!! 🔥🔥🔥
Solid grooving, genre mashup from hiphop to classic mexican to even the early touches of lofi
That was cool
Possibly the worst sounding strings on the 1001.
This album was a chore to listen to, having to piece together from random YouTube videos, some of which were just live recordings. I’m glad I did though, as this was a bizarre little mashup of a lot of different Latin music styles with some great rapping and hiphop beats laid over the top.
Latin funk
This is like being trapped in a hippie drum circle... Don't know that I needed to listen to this. It ends up fun though. So I’ll go 3 stars.
Ok latin grooves.
the first 5 seconds where enough for me to love it.
This has a pretty strong opening track. I wanted to like the album more, but it ended up feeling kind of one dimensional to me. I can see why this would be a popular album, and I liked some of the tracks but it's overproduced and largely not my style.
Some cool stuff here, but it's smothered out by an unrelenting early aughts pop veneer on a lot of tracks boy band crooning, Black Eyed Peas style conscious rap about everyone getting along. Without knowing this bad well, and only listening once, it feels like they were trying to hard for a crossover hit. Which they might have succeeded at as far as EA Sports is concerned.
I couldn't get into the album
2.5, the vocals aren't my vibe
How does this fall into 1001 albums, surely there was better?
*2004 - Latin rock band from Los Angelos. *Lots of Latinx horns and rhythm, then some rap/hip-hop in English sprinkled in. *Felt like I needed to be on an island with an umbrella in my drink, but also the hip hop elements felt very big city LA/NYC. Cool blend. *Wouldn't revisit but enjoyed the concept. RATING - 6/10
Verdorie, altijd vervelend om extra moeite te moeten doen om een album te luisteren. Maar goed, dan word je er wel weer even aan herinnerd hoeveel mazzel we tegenwoordig hebben dat het echt een uitzondering is als een album niet op Spotify staat. En zelfs dan staat het eigenlijk altijd wel ergens op Youtube ofzo. Nu de muziek; het is een soort mengelmoes met samba, hiphop, latin, funk? Klinkt best wel geinig, wel jammer dat de rap niet heeeeel sterk is. Ik weet zelf veel te weinig van latin om daar over te oordelen dus vind dat best geinig, maar ik heb een vermoeden dat dat ook niet heel sterk is als je wat meer in die materie zit. Komen we dus weer een beetje bij een Wereldrestaurant/all you can eat concept vergelijking uit; Als je bijna alles bij elkaar dondert is het grootste deel prima, maar niets echt goed. Er springen zeker wel wat nummers uit en de combi van latin/funk en hiphop is wel echt iets waar ik heil in zie en verder uitgezocht zou willen zien. Helaas is Ozomatli niet de beste om dit te doen, maar het is zeker een vermakelijk album geworden en wel eentje die ik een soort van zou aanraden aan liefhebbers van de losse genres. Verwacht alleen geen wereldschokkend album. FAVO: Love and Hope, Ya Viene el Sol
Liked it more than I thought I would. 3.3
Aight
I like this. I would definitely listen to them again. Surprisingly enjoyable. Made me think of The Cat Empire.
Nothing stands out about this album.
The REAL america
Not my genre, but very listenable and super catchy, particularly (who discovered) America which also happens to be an excellent allegorical, satirical take on the European colonization of America. Giving Santana with more of a political bent. A good start to this journey and a taste of what’s to come!
Echt heel corny
8/7/25. I remember the track Saturday Night from way back, but never listened to the full album. Great energy and diversity in the songs. Will need a few more listens, but think it’s aged well since it’s 2004 release.
Fun Latin music, often with hip hop elements
Some fun songs. Boring start though
odd, but not bad. some of the songs were really cool. definitely a vibe.
Somehow has a kitchen-sink approach to its very 2000s production while also being monotonous. I started off kind of liking it and cooled off as it continued. The genre-bending comes off as scattered and the songs buckle under the weight. Not to say it’s no fun at all, but not a listening experience I relished.
1 track 56 mins - weird
Not for me.
The rapping was pretty corny and the rest, which was very different, sounded generic. But not bad to listen to. Low 3.
6/10 - I thought this album was kind of good. There were some duds but love and hope and some of the Spanish songs were enjoyable
Interesting. I guess. Unfortunately also super ass. Like I kinda want to give it a 1
I was really surprised by how cool this album was. Had some early arabic influences flow through. And then had some more spanish influences come out. Enjoyable.
A score below 3 is not deserved for this. Too many "not on spotify" reviews. Like, yeah of course I would rather listen to the studio version than to a drum cover version on youtube. The music is fun but not groundbreaking and some songs are lacking. Overall very good 4/5
I had never heard of this band before—for good reason.
This was funky and fun and different. I felt like it switched it up enough through the album that it never got dull or stale. I would definitely listen again.
Not bad. Latin-Indian fusion funk sound. Just into 3star territory.
This was so so so bad. Seems like a band that would be a great opener for Santana.
Oh I am PSYCHED for this new find! If this music doesn’t have you bouncing in your seat you need more joy in your life.
This feels like a strange inclusion. Can't find it on Apple Music and had to listen through a Youtube playlist that included at least a couple of live versions and a drum cover. Hard to thus really rate it fairly, but I thought it was kinda ok, kinda interesting, kinda catchy. At times tacky and sounding dated in an early 2000s way. 3/5
## In-Depth Review: Ozomatli's *Street Signs* (2004) ### **Context and Background** Released on June 22, 2004, *Street Signs* is Ozomatli’s third studio album, arriving three years after their previous work (*Embrace the Chaos*, 2001). Recorded across seven studios (including The Plant in Sausalito and Music Lane in Austin), the album blends Latin rock, hip-hop, salsa, and—new for the band—North African/Arabic influences. This direction emerged post-9/11, as the band sought musical unity amid political tension . It won the **Grammy for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album** and the **Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album**, solidifying their cult status . --- ### **Lyrics and Themes: Unity, Resistance, and Hope** Ozomatli’s lyrics balance sociopolitical critique with celebratory calls for solidarity. Key themes include: - **Social Justice**: "Who’s to Blame" (featuring Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na) attacks systemic inequality, referencing "presidential motorcades" and "Yakuza tattoos" over a Gnawa trance backdrop . "(Who Discovered) America?" subverts colonial narratives, questioning historical erasure . - **Cross-Cultural Unity**: The title track "Street Signs" shouts, "*This is dedicated to the blacks, whites, and Asians / And my Latinos*," framing breakdance culture as a metaphor for communal resilience . "Believe" merges Arabic vocals (by Hassan Hakmoun) with Spanish and English, advocating hope amid "world tainted" . - **Ambiguity and Tension**: "Santiago" sparks debate. Its refrain—"*Santiago de Aztlán / Pienso que eres Superman*"—has been interpreted as a tribute to an INS agent or a broader immigrant anthem. The cryptic "Ago" hook (likely derived from "Santiag**o**") underscores the song’s poetic openness . **Weakness**: Some lyrics veer toward platitudes (e.g., "Love and Hope"), sacrificing depth for accessibility . --- ### **Musical Style: Genre Fusion as Revolution** The album’s genius lies in its seamless hybridization: - **Latin Foundations**: Salsa piano (Eddie Palmieri on "Nadie Te Tira"), merengue ("Déjame En Paz"), and jarocho harp ("Santiago") ground the record . - **Global Infusions**: Moroccan sintir (fretless lute) and qawwali drones on "Believe," tablas on "Who’s to Blame," and Romani violin (Les Yeux Noirs) throughout . - **Hip-Hop/Rock Energy**: "Saturday Night" is a funk-rap party anthem, while "Street Signs" channels West Coast breakbeats . *Key Standouts*: - "Believe": Orchestral strings collide with sintir and rap breaks. - "Te Estoy Buscando": A haunting bolero-tango hybrid dubbed "soul-stirringly beautiful" . - "Ya Viene El Sol (Remix)": Batucada beats fused with electro-dancehall . *Table: Musical Fusion in Key Tracks* | **Track** | **Primary Styles** | **Notable Elements** | |-------------------|-------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------| | "Believe" | Arabic Gnawa / Orchestral / Hip-Hop | Hassan Hakmoun’s sintir; Prague Symphony | | "Who’s to Blame" | Gnawa / Rap | Chali 2na’s vocals; tablas; hand-claps | | "Santiago" | Mexican jarocho / Rock | David Hidalgo’s arpa jarocha; acoustic guitar| | "Saturday Night" | Latin funk / Hip-Hop | Turntablism; brass sections | --- ### **Production: Ambitious but Overstuffed** **Strengths**: - **Collaborative Depth**: Production by Ozomatli, T-Ray, and guests (e.g., Cut Chemist on turntables) creates layered textures. Serban Ghenea’s mixing (known for Prince/Justin Timberlake) polishes without sterilizing . - **Textural Richness**: The Prague Symphony’s strings on "Believe" and "Santiago" add cinematic scope, while analog percussion preserves live energy . **Weaknesses**: - **Overcrowding**: Some tracks ("Love and Hope") suffer from excessive elements (Arabic strings, hip-hop, rock) competing for space . - **Inconsistent Flow**: The transition from the political "Who’s to Blame" to the romantic "Te Estoy Buscando" feels abrupt, disrupting narrative cohesion . --- ### **Influence and Legacy** - **Cultural Impact**: Pioneered 2000s Latin alternative scenes, influencing acts like Kinky and Del Castillo . "Saturday Night" appeared in *Madden NFL 2005* and film trailers, amplifying Latin-funk’s mainstream reach . - **Critical Divide**: Hailed as a "revolution" by BBC Music but criticized as "bland fusion" by some (e.g., *1001 Albums Generator* users) . Its inclusion in *1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die* cemented its historical significance . - **Accessibility Issues**: Modern listeners note streaming limitations (only "Believe" on Spotify), hindering rediscovery . --- ### **Pros and Cons Summary** | **Pros** | **Cons** | |-----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------| | Bold genre fusion (Arabic/Latin/hip-hop) | Overproduction dilutes impact on some tracks | | Political lyricism + celebratory energy | Inconsistent thematic flow | | Stellar guests (Palmieri, Chali 2na, Hakmoun) | Lyrics occasionally superficial | | Rhythmic innovation (tablas, jarocho, Gnawa) | Limited streaming availability today | --- ### **Verdict** *Street Signs* remains Ozomatli’s most ambitious work: a multicultural manifesto that channels chaos into unity. While its maximalist production and scattered sequencing reveal flaws, the album’s fearless hybridization—Arabic strings meet West Coast rap, salsa meets Gnawa trance—makes it a landmark in 2000s alternative Latin music. As the band declared: "*Music is the key to every culture*" . **8/10**.
4/5
I listened to as many tracks as I could through youtube and Spotify. What I heard gave me an impression of this album being a mix of poppy Latin grooves with some nice Middle-Eastern inspired instrumentation and optimistic hip-hop lyrics. I really liked it. Wish I could hear the whole thing.
I remember loving Saturday Night on the Madden soundtrack as a kid. Still slaps. Other songs I enjoyed here were Street Signs, (Who Discovered) America? (another banger), Te Estoy Buscando, and Santiago. Really was vibing to the Latin-fused hip-hop. Fun album and was better than I was expecting. I think I'm willing to go with a low 4 here.
This is a weird confluence of styles. I don't hate it, but I don't particularly love it either. Kind of reminds me of Jurassic 5, but more latin(?). There are points when the combination is fun, but more often it strikes me as quirky. (Who Discovered) America? is a nice downtempo jam. Dejame En Paz is a fun one. I think Nadie Te Tira is my favorite on the record. This is the softest of possible 3s for me.
Really enjoyable mix of rock, latin, and hip hop. Not only was it an enjoyable listen, it was a nice unique album on top of it all. Had me grooving plenty.
Such a unique style of music that I love when albums like this come up. The Salsa/Rap/Rock was so high energy I was loving every second of it straight out of the gate. Dejame En Paz was an absolute jam I was rocking so hard to that. That was such a fun album to listen to I can't help but give it a 5
Loved the switch-ups on this one while sticking to the Latin vibe. This isn't something I'll most likely come back to, but it did have me vibing throughout and didn't know if it would be in English/Spanish, rapping, or jazzy/funky. Also felt like the production on this was fantastic. Low 4.
This record makes me feel good all over. Very quality record and I forget about its existence until times like this and it makes me happy. Love this band and I have been lucky to see them a few times and early in their career.
This one was a lot of fun! High energy, good beats, nice mix of instruments and styles. Plus, I recognized one of the songs from playing Madden 05, so that was a nice throwback. 4/5
Didn’t love it didn’t hate it.
This is why I like new (to me) music. This album here. Upbeat, relevant, and meaningful. I really dug this. Never heard of them or the songs, but I will definitely listen again.
This was a surprise to see on the list. I love Ozomatli, and while I would rather see the Embrace The Chaos album, this one is still a banger. It’s wild to see other reviews on here and how low the average rating is. But considering the demo on this challenge, I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked this has too much seasoning for their ears.
Not my cuppa tea
Neat
nah
I thoroughly enjoyed this album! 5/5
Something different, but I didn't love it. The Latin twist gets a bit boring. Listenable and relatively enjoyable.
Given the connections to Jurassic 5 I really thought I was going to enjoy this album. But this just feels like a mashup of the least interesting latin music and hip hop. It's too manufactured and clean. 2.5⭐️
Favorite songs: Saturday Night, Santiago, Believe, (Who Discovered) America?, Cuando Canto Least favorite songs: Love and Hope, Dona Isabelle 3/5
Could not really listen to the album but from what I have heard this was a little bit chaotic and not really my style, could be nice though for people who like a mashup of ska, oriental style, electro, hiphop etc.
Хуй еще найдешь этот альбом. Поэтому пару треков послушал - ну угарная хуйня
This album is a block party where every culture brings its own sound system and somehow it all syncs up joyfully. Latin horns, flamenco guitars, hip-hop beats, and global rhythms swirl together into one big, booty shaking SHOUT. It’s vibrant, tasty, and feels like summer finally came to life.
I think these guys got to like 900 albums and then just started adding random albums they listened to at one point in their lives. I don’t think Ozomatli is a band of much significance and they picked an album that isn’t even available on most streaming services. Anyway my only previous experience with Ozomatli is “cut chemistry suite” on the Tony Hawk soundtrack which is a great song. This album was fine. 2.5
1.5 I thought there was too much fusion in the musical stylings for this to be coherent in any way. The lyrics that I listened to were just about partying and girls, which although Iike a lot, can be a bit adolescent.
I wasn't familiar with the album. A nice surprise in the combination of rap and Latin rhythms.
Latin grooves with elements of funk and hip hop
This was a new one to me. Solid album, especially the Charlie 2na tune!
2004. One of my favorite discovered albums of this project! Very interesting style of Los Angeles. Multicultural and activist.
Really, really enjoyed this. Had to track it down on YouTube, and some of it isn’t there but what I heard I could not fault. Excellent.
Very cool album, shame it's not available to stram - even the YouTube playlists are missing half of the album. I liked what I heard though
I knew Ozomatli from Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, by the song "Cut Chemist Suite", which is a masterpiece (mostly in the voice of 2Na Fish, possibly the most underrated rap vocalist ever). The samples are wild on the whole Street Signs, they are witty, culturally rich, it's like the producer is a big history nerd. That said, few songs actually caught me, possibly only Who's to Blame (bc of 2Na fish rapping, of course) and my Fav. track: Saturday Night
Only one song on Spotify so listened to a few from elsewhere. Nice soundc
I couldn't get access to the album properly so I listened to a few of their top tracks on Tidal. A bit too unrelentingly cheery for me. I'm discovering I don't like most funk rock.
Happy, good times. Genuinely enjoyed it. 4/5
Very interesting album on the border between couple of genres. I imagine that enjoying Santana's Abraxas is probably quite necessary to enjoy this one.
Another awesome new discovery
Based on what I was able to scrounge of this album on YouTube, I really enjoyed this band. They're one of the few artists I've encountered here with hip-hop influences who I can get behind. Believe was a banger. I'd happily listen to more Ozomatli and I'm not sure how they hadn't crossed my path thus far.
Not for me
It was a torture
Had a hard time piecing this together on youtube. I still couldn't gind a track. Perfectvfor sunny weather this one
Very enjoyable, good sounding record. I'm not into this style of music so I don't understand why this record is mandatory listening, but I liked it.
The Latin sections were fun but the rap fusion bits didn't fuse all that well imo, the sound wasn't very cohesive
Me gusta un poco
Great features! Excited to read up on this one.
Some very good songs here, interesting sound. Five stars conceivable but so is three.
No
A nice change of pace
While I feel like this is a fun album I am quite sure that this does not rise to the level of an album needed to be consumed before I fuck off of this planet. There are plenty of party albums that I LOVE, but know it doesn't need to be heard by every music lover. My rating reflects its placement on this list and not by the competency of the players.
Hard to find
Only 2 songs available on Spotify But hey, they're pretty good ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
All over the musical map
9/10 very fun and creative! interesting to hear latin musicians’ interpretation of funk and hip hop
Disco começa bem com a mistura de guitarras e cordas orientais. A banda promove uma salada de ritmos pondo juntos sons latinos e do oriente médio que vai bem até descambar para um hip-hop latino que soa forçado e até meio brega, que só não é pior do que a tentativa de fazer hip-hop com bases sonoras do oriente. Um disco "engraçadinho", apenas.
I remember being into this band for a second
Hateeee
My favorite songs were Street Signs and Saturday Night. Overall, a banger album!
Spent more time trying to find a way to listen to this album in the UK than actually listening to the album. Have to say it was actually decent, some good tracks on it
Pop with street and latin flavours... interesting
Did not enjoy this.
More World Music with Middle East vibes and Spanish and other influences.
Interesting
Unable to find in full on Spotify, I listened to Believe, judging my rating based on this one song, which I did actually enjoy! Hoping to find a CD in the wild somewhere to fully appeciate this album
The first song made me believe I was going to love this. But eventually it all just ran together without any standouts. Fine but not essential. 2.5/5
Blind album and artist. There were definitely some tracks that stuck out to me, but the album lacked overall. I think i liked the more hip hop funk influenced tracks, less so world and latin.
Being labelled world/funk/hip hop, this album should be much more interesting than it actually is. It's got no bite. It's not memorable. If anything, it's pretty cheesy. I always dug J5 (to a degree) and Cut Chemist (a whole lot!) but them together in this outfit does absolutely nothing to me. This is boring global coffee shop-assed music for people without passports.
Baffling and not in a good way. The second track could just be a song by a Latin boy band. It stinks!
not too bad
Not bad. Repetitive. Didn't seem to add much or build upon anything. Not for me.
The Good: We know where we are! The Bad: Seems like the street signs are all greyed out… The Ugly: Have you ever lost yourself in a neighborhood where you don’t belong?… I was not able to listen to this album, as Spotify has it greyed out in my country. I tried look for it on the Tube, but got sidetracked by other videos… Head scratcher for me… I tried listening to 2 other albums by this group that weren’t greyed out, and did not like either of them… So, based on the 2 songs I was able to listen to… 2*
Random Rap motives mixed with Latin Music elements. While blending elements of different genres it never feels like more than the sum of its parts. This gives the songs a wiffliness, a lack of edge, a lack of bite, making them kind of boring and at the same time inoffensive.
Album 804 of 1089 Ozomatli - Street Signs (2004) Rating : 3 / 5 I can't speak to the themes due to the language barrier but this bit of Latin, hip-hop, funk, and world music was a nice listen.
This was cool for a few songs, but got boring very quickly.
Not very notable
Lots to like. Upbeat. Worldly. Positive messages with a nice hip hop vibe to it. The album does get a bit long in the tooth after a while.
For a band and album I'd never heard of before, I LOVED THIS! I want to check out more by them.
wtf was this album? LMAO, seriously. firstly, it only let me play TWO songs, which were a completely shit. it felt like a joke jesus christ. at least i had fun but bc of how shit it was. the only “plus” is that one was in spanish so i could understand it better, however that was bad at the same time bc what the hell with the lyrics HAHAHA. anyway, i did not like neither of the two songs but i laughed!
Listened to on YouTube as it's not on Spotify for me. I also could only find 7 out of the 13 songs which sucks a bit. But other than that I like the really unique sound of this album.
Looks like something that Carlitos de la technobanda would dance to.
Wtf.
I had really low expectations out the gate but this really surprised me. I enjoyed how each song felt very individual but the whole album felt cohesive.
I liked a couple of songs but overall I didn’t love it. 2.5
Not my thing.
Een soort mengelmoes van Juanes (die van o.a. de hit 'Een Zwart Overhemd') en Enrique Iglesias. Met een rappert die op sommige nummers komt opdagen. Niet bepaald Champions League dit. Het is wel geinig hoor. Sowieso is het af en toe wel lekker om die Latin ongein aan te zetten met die knerpende blazertjes en vrolijke piano's, maar als album is dit echt heel ver verwijderd van waar deze lijst voor bedoeld is, wat mij betreft. Sterretje of 2 tot 3. Twee sterren omdat het niet heel makkelijk digitaal beschikbaar is en we leven inmiddels in 2025.
Bangers all around! What a great new discovery
Full album not on Spotify
Really unremarkable. 1/5
Not for me
OK.
Yeah I can see this being on the trailer for hot tub time machine. Makes no sense to be on the list. There's fusion going on here but this is so forgettable. Maybe Vin Diesel would find this cool.
I did not care for this. Just doesn't have it. It is a cohesive album and for the most part didn't cause me pain so I can give it a 2. "Ya Gotta Dip Dip Dive, So So Socialize Clean Out Your Ears Then Open Your Eyes" - Grand Maste Flash & The Furious Five
Fun mix of Mexican rhythms and hip hop and rap. Will check these guys out a bit more
Was probably super influential to Lin Manuel Miranda
They’re better live
Sub optimal listen, had hopes up seeing “Latin funk” on wiki page but simply too commercialized
Good guitar, good voices, don't know what they were saying half the time but it was banging. Good rock
Ozo rocks, instant fan. Love the genre blend Very early 2000’s sometimes sounds like bilingual Black Eyed Peas
5 out of 25
One good song, Dejame En Paz, but that one song is so good that it really saves the whole thing from being a total waste.
Their politics are as silly as Rage Against the Machine, but they are more musically interesting than Oasis, so they have that going for them. A interesting display of the musical diaspora that the U.S. has absorbed into its culture, particularly in Los Angeles County, but it didn't stick with me after the album was over. I am not convinced it belongs on the list. Unlike other listeners I had no trouble finding and listening to the complete album on Apple Music.
Hey, I actually loved this... perfect for my morning workout. I would probably give it a 3.5, but rounding up to 4 as I ended up listening to it twice.
Lovely Mexican fusion cuisine.
I finally got to listen to the complete album. Really not very good at all.
I enjoyed it.
Had to go old school and buy a cd in order to listen to the full album as seemingly absent from uk streaming. The album opens with the sound of pure joy. A wonderful blend of styles like an audio street festival. Latin grooves with occasional rapping and shouting whats not to love
Impossible to listen to in the UK on streaming, but after my friend bought a secondhand CD, I've come back in time to review it. Why is this not on streaming?! It's catchy as hell. It merges so many styles, so it's never dull. It's perfect warm weather music. It won a Grammy (Best Latin or Alternate Album) for goodness sake! I particularly like (Who Discovered) America, Who's To Blame and Saturday Night is fantastic. This has been my biggest surprise of this project so far. Clearly given the difficulty of getting hold of it meant I never would have heard it otherwise, but I'm so glad I did. My actual album today was Leonard Cohen, and my goodness, this was the perfect antidote to that... 4/5
Covers some genres but not necessarily any I’d go out of my way to listen to…
Prior to this challenge I had only head "1234" by Ozomatli. A little surprised it wasn't on this album! Overall the sound was good and the beats were engaging. I liked it.
God!
It sounds too much like it's trying to be something else and not quite succeeding. High Point: Who's to Blame? Low Point: Believe (was this a Linkin Park cover?)
this sounds like a movie soundtrack where the characters have to leave america to meet a drug dealer who does all his business out in the open at some bar
Latin music fusion of... something? Honestly it felt somewhat all over the place and everything sounded the same. It's almost like a worse Enrique Iglesias. 4/10
Very cool Latin rock mix. Little bit generic and verging on cheesy at times, but for the most part a really interesting and enjoyable listen. Super groovy and nice mix of languages - spoken and musical.
i really enjoyed this
Pre-listening thoughts: i read somewhere that one of these guys was in Jurassic 5 and I liked their album we got so maybe I will like this too (praying) Post/during listening thoughts: this swings between okay and good for me. Like some songs are really catchy but some are just really not. It feels like an album that's not sure what its identity is. Idk. 5.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: Love and Hope, Who Discovered America? Least fav tracks: Dejame En Paz
One so g
I never thought that a Latin album with hip hop elements could be so boring. Santana pulled it off better five years before this album came out. I was not impressed.
Nautinnollinen funkkislevy! 3.5/5
Oh, such an unexpected surprise ! Eclectic and so much quality.
I saw them open for either Rancid or Offspring at Roseland in ‘98 or ‘99. Fun and unique blend of styles.
Favorite Track: Street Signs
this slapped
N/A - Wasn't on Apple music UK so didn't get the chance to listen.
I liked the Spanish music vibe. Very enjoyable.
Just cannot get into it.
decent
It was good but i couldn't even listen to most of it because it's blocked
I feel like this album was listed for diversity, but maybe all those English Rock bands aren't so bad afterall.
Revolutionary and delightful in that way. Not music I enjoy but a message I can get behind. Some of the rhyming is quite nice.
I do enjoy having non-English-language albums in the list. It seems like a big range of styles - some tracks I enjoyed quite a bit, others I disliked and skipped through. A frantic energy. All but a couple of tracks I would be happy to have on in the background.
2.5/5
This was not at all what I was expecting. Infectious, driving grooves. The mix of Spanish and English. Cool stuff
Could only get one track on Spotify with rest on YouTube. Not for me.
This is a cool album, I don’t think it’s their best…my personal favourite is their debut, followed by Embrace the Chaos. Such a Cool band and I love this style of music. This isn’t their best, but it’s still pretty fun to listen to
This album was a lot of fun. I don't know how often I'll return to this on my own, but if I'm ever at a Mexican restaurant in the future and one of these comes on, I will spend the rest of the meal trying to place where I know the song from in a not unpleasant way.
Even the Wild West of YouTube doesn’t have much. Of the four I could find, one was ok, two were average and one was bad, so not something I’ll try seem out later.
Can’t listen as only one track from the album is available.
What the heck is this? Well it's pretty good.
Thank you! A great band I'd not come across before!
Latin inspired Rap
I’d never heard of this band. All over the map on this album with Latin, rap, with maybe some reggae thrown in. In the end though just ok for me.
did not particularly enjoy this. feels like the soundtrack to a bad 2000s movie.
This was like Smooth by santana but mixed with linkin park. It was kinda shitty but somehow I liked it
Much more varied and interesting than I expected. All of the songs were well produced and the whole thing sounded great. I always assumed this band was a little more toward the RHCP end of the california fusion rock band spectrum, but it's doing its own thing
this was a snooze fest to me
This album had two moods. One was "salsa covers of random songs like Matchbox 20 deep cuts that would play at salsa/bachata night" (positive) and the other was "2000s boyband doing an edgy hip-hop song" (derogatory)
Not my type tho
Could be on the soundtrack of a jason bourne movie when they travel to the middle east
not for me at all
Not for me.
Damn, haven't heard it in 20 years, but that's a hell of an album, incredibly beautiful.
Thankfully only two songs available on Spotify and I won't bother looking up the rest because they were truly horrible.
Really enjoy this band. I saw them years ago at a music festival and was hooked.
What a weird album, Latin at times, full on hip-hop at others. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and it was a good album for a trip through the country. I wouldn't shy away from listening to it again.
Never heard this band before, and I stank-faced when the rapper came in on the first track. Came out of nowhere and I was totally not expecting it at all. What a unique album. I've never heard anything like it. There's so much to unpack here with influences from latin music, Indian music, hip-hop... honestly a one-of-one kind of album. Honestly, I like A LOT of this album. And I need to save it and show it to others. 4/5
Pretty good!
This is a fun album. Good mix of Latin, Funk, Hip-Hop, and (to a lesser extent) Rock genres. 4 stars.
Never heard if this album or the band. It is entertaining, if a little repetitive towards the end. The first track is really good, blending latino and bhangra rhythms and instrumentation with rock/pop. The rest are not quite as good but the mixing pot of latin, ska, dance is fun to listen to.
Nice of them to put all the english songs in the first half and the spanish songs in the second half. Not my kind of music english or spanish but still can appreciate the craft. 5/10
Only two songs on my Spotify.
Pleasantly surprised by this album. Very fun and upbeat Latin-rock that is easy to listen to, and very fresh and varied from song to song. Starts to fall off towards the end of the album, but overall very entertaining. Top tracks: (Who Discovered) America?, Who's To Blame, Saturday Night
I don’t see how this is on the list
Favorite Track: Te Estoy Buscando
Fun listen :)
A little bit of this goes a long way.
I can't say I've heard of Ozomatli before. They are a Latin American rock band that serves as a melting pot of various styles, such as salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, and hip hop, all while giving a voice to Latinx culture and workers' rights. It's certainly a noble cause that the group assumes, which had me optimistic going into their third album, Street Signs. So, how did their cause translate to a record? Well, I can't deny this album sounds dated to the early 2000s with the turntable record-scratching from Rene "DJ Spinobi" Dominguez, alongside the generalized rap-rock fusion vibe in the presentation. For sure, the group tries to exhume fun in their sound, and there are some technically impressive elements. In particular, I want to highlight the rapping cadence of Justin "El Niño" Porée on songs like "Believe" the title track, as well as Jabulani "Jabu" Smith-Freeman on "Who's to Blame", and their traded bars on "Saturday Night" where both their flows are well-constructed amidst the phat beats, funk guitars and occasional Middle Eastern tablas. There's a good time to be had when they're on the mic. But also sharing the mic are singers Asdru Sierra and Raúl Pacheco, and it's the songs where they lead that break the momentum of this record. Their singing is passable but nothing extraordinary as the songs they sing over range from middling salsa in their native tongue such as on "Te Estoy Buscando", "Dejame en Paz" and "Cuando Canto", to at worst the lyrical clunkiness of "(Who Discovered) America?" as the comparison of the discovery of America to pursuing a beautiful woman is rather on-the-nose. Also, I can't help but realize that, for how much the group sing and rap about sparking a revolution, nothing profound was said on this album. They go for populism in their calls to strengthen global unity, but there's not much further said than that. I was looking for them to be more precise and consistently powerful in their messaging. At the end of the day, I was left wanting more out of Ozomatli. I get their appeal as they have their hearts in the right place. But if we're talking about the revolution starting on Saturday night, there better be more firepower than this.
The first track wouldn't be out of place on one of the more exotic chases in a "Bourne" film, but the rest just isn't really my cup of tea? Also slightly annoying that it's not available digitally in the UK.
I only had to listen to 2 songs to know its not for me
I’ve never heard of Ozomatli before. For some reason, based on the name, I was expecting ambient electronica. I have literally no reason I can identify for this assumption, but I was dead wrong. It’s very Spanish feeling - not only because a lot of sang in Spanish, but it has that traditional flamenco-ish feeling. But in addition to this, it also adds a fair amount of funk and hip hop. It’s a crazy fusion that I found to perfectly suit my tastes. I was loving this album from front to back, despite needing to find some dodgy compressed version on YouTube due to it seemingly not being on Apple Music. I enjoyed this a lot.
Unavailable on Spotify in my country so had to go through Youtube which only had about half the album uploaded with varying audio quality and ads between each song. What I heard was pretty good, but as I haven't heard the entire thing in a real format I have to mark this one down as unreviewable. Gonna try to keep my eye on it in the future in case something changes. NA/5
je ne chierais même pas dans yeule de ce disque, ça serait trop vulgaire pour ma marde
nope
Je n'ai pas les attributs et les caractéristiques qui m'autorisent à me prononcer sur mon appréciation de cet album.
Dégueulasse. Ça m'a donné la diarrhée.
I wish I saw the stop sign
3.5 Stars
I LOVED this! Great sound, energy, and happiness. i listened to more of them and similar bands for the rest of the day.
Just awful. Jumps from genre to genre and, incredibly, never really sticks the landing. Every song feels like a fucked up caricature of Latin music and is offensive is in multiple, indescribable ways. Awesome.
Unknown band to me. Some tracks were OK. I'm not a fan of rap and to much repetition with the vocalized lyrics.
Would never have listened to this on my own and will likely never listen in full length again but it was funky and a nice change up.
it's like if you made an entire album of those spanish pop songs that are played on the radio every now and then
Latin Pop. OK.
Another lesser known album from a different background, this one was more fun to listen to, but it still doesn't feel up to par for this list. Sonically the album fits into Latin funk rock, with some hip-hop mixed in. This description itself creates a fun and upbeat image in ones head, and in reality this album sounds exactly like that. There are fun Latin rhythms with different percussion elements, smooth guitar and piano melodies. The best parts of the album for me were the songs which featured hip-hop vocals, the blend worked really well in my opinion. Now for the not so good parts, the album doesn't bring anything new, it just goes through the same, well treaded, paths. The music, mix and vocals aren't well done or refined, they are just average. All in all a fun album, but nothing special.
I could only access one song for some reason, but it was unlike anything else I’ve heard. Fresh perspective. Spanish is a pretty language to listen to. I’m getting some Middle Eastern vibes from the vocals and production. The rapping is cool, nice flow.
An interesting patchwork of Latin-American sounds. The album is energetic and dynamic. I would say that it can be repetitive and borderline cheesy in spots. While latin music is not my favorite, this was pretty good.
3.5 - fun album that blends a lot of genres
Interesting What tracks I could listen to (Spotify didn't have many and I had to seek on You Tube) were interesting. Varied, and interesting
A fun blend of salsa, jazz, rock and hip hop, emerging from an attempt to form a workers' union. The attempt failed but led to a cultural center, where Ozomatli were formed. The music remains conscious of Latino and workers' rights, so also being a celebration of Latin culture in California. Frustratingly, the album isn't streaming and even on YouTube it's pretty spotty (as of this writing). There's also not a lot of information about this particular album anywhere. But there's enough to get an idea of the band and the mark that they made.
Just uninteresting
Fifa Street music. Some great tracks.
Latin hip-hop fusion kind of thing from the mid-2000s. Even though the writing's maybe not the strongest I found this to be a fairly enjoyable time, especially when it's rapping, but it also makes sense to me that this one didn't survive to later editions of the 1,001 book.
Not in the book, not on Spotify (not even all on YouTube!), never heard of them, never played the games they were in or seen Hot Tub Time Machine. So, totally passed me by. All sounds pretty generic Latin pop rock. With a bit of Jurassic 5 style rapping in places but not as good. Almost certainly heard some of these in a Revolucion de Cuba somewhere. How come there seems to be about ten of them in the band? The more traditional Latin ones were obviously the best, Dejame en Paz. I'll have a bit of that. Also benefit of being forced to YouTube meant I saw the lovely vid of Cuando Canto performed in isolation under COVID lockdown. The rest I will leave. I imagine they're a great watch live though.
Kind of messy, doesn’t stick too much to one theme. Does have some Spanish hits though which was unexpected.
This is fun. Not perfect, but really good.
3.5 Stars
Hard to review this one. Had to listen on YouTube as it isn’t on Spotify. Even then I couldn’t find all the tracks so between that and the adverts it was hard to immerse myself in the album.
Pretty good, funky Latin rhythms. Really like the string arrangements throughout, and its pretty varied too. You'd think this is a few different albums going from Love and Hope to Street Signs to Santiago. I came into this listen with zero expectations, having never heard of Ozomatli, and thankfully the list provided another great addition.
What a groovy album baby yeah! Love me some Latin rhythms. Plus a Chali 2na appearance bumps it up a star all on its own. Music that makes me want to start a revolution against this current dog shit regime
Couldn't listen to the whole thing - but found most of the tracks on YouTube. Was much better than expected - shame it's not on UK Spotify
wouldve been a 2 musically but they seem so niiiice
Checked to see where i was at in the album and was devastated to learn i am only halfway through. did nottttttt like this.