Jaime Lopez- Jaime Lopez (1989)

Jaime Lopez- Jaime Lopez (1989)

I have to be very honest with you, I have always had this conflict with music in Spanish, probably because I listened a lot to early Mexican rock with my father, and most of those records always resulted to me puny adaptations form the original recordings in English, at least, that’s the way rock in Mexico started, no originality, no true creators, just copycats that made me despise years ago almost all the music made here in Mexico, I still have serious doubts when it comes to Mexican rock, and it would become an impossible mission trying to find a musical talent of the size of somebody like France’s Brel, Canada’s Cohen or Neil Young, Brazil’s Veloso, Spain’s Sabina, Russia’s Letov, Australia’s Nick Cave or USA`s Lou Reed or Bob Dylan.     

Do we have a in Mexican popular rock music someone like the great Jacques Brel? That Belgian who changed the way pop songs were made in France? Do we have a true original that defied popular music structures like Caetano Veloso did in Brazil? Where’s our Mexican Bob Dylan? Where’s our Lou Reed? Or better yet and comparisons aside, who’s that great character in Mexican rock music who we can declare a true original and a big influence to the new generations, and if that’s the big question I have a big answer: JAIME LOPEZ, a true rock n roll rebel, a true innovator of popular music who has remained in the underground for a long time, but one who remains a big influence in Mexican contemporary rock, a man whose songs defied genres, musical structures, popular expectations and, and even defied himself at all times switching sometimes towards thru experimental music.

Jaime Lopez might not be a popular star here in Mexico, but those who have truly follow Mexican rock in the last decades surely know the name of this guy, born in Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas and who adopted Mexico City as his new home, by the way of persistence Lopez achieved notoriety among the underground as a great songwriter and an iconoclast of rock music, one who always stood up for individuality and for artistic freedom, always pioneering knew idioms in rock music.

Listing to 1989`s amazing self titled recording by Jaime Lopez we understand why one of today’s Mexican biggest musical injustice is the fact that Lopez remain in the underground, a guy in complete control of his artistic freedom with an amazing musical vision, El Hombre de Wall Street is an amazing song with a great melody and an amazing vocal execution by Lopez, a man who can easily defy Nick Cave maniac vocal style and demand lots of attention, Lopez is a character all of his own, one who can sign like a complete maniac, but at the same times, write pretty damn good and original songs, sometimes weird and others completely brilliant and full of interesting ideas, a man who definitely taught us how to expand the boundaries of rock music sung in Spanish without sounding silly at all.

A La Orilla de la Carretera is another great song, once again with Lopez wailing at a beautiful melody, singing about lost love and ghosts at the highway, Lopez capable of blending different genres here he walks with ease between rock, blues and pop, making truly remarkable choruses in the way, and the next time Lopez goes for the full rock n roll mode with an experimental edge on Puñalada Trapera a powerful rocker with accordion norteño, showing his northern roots without shame, and a growling vocal approach all of his own, while on La Almohada Electrica, Lopez attacks doo woop and blues at the same time, in a way no other Mexican artist has done, showing how fearless is his musical vision, and then comes the amazing quasi acoustic gospel of Sacalo, without a doubt one of Lopez greatest compositions, a true powerful and full of anguish tune, one that is as infectious and soul shaking as few, a song so amazing that is almost impossible to understand why Lopez isn’t a BIG NAME at least here in Mexico, that gives me the idea that Lopez’s songs are not honored in Mexico because listeners simply don’t like to think and don’t like to be challenged by what they listen.

This record has some flaws, the Latin and calypso tinged Ay Ay Asustame or Puerto Bagdad really do little for me, but are the kind of stuff that made people like El Guincho famous two decades latter, but the accordion norteño comes back for Ay Ines!, another reflexive tune that gives space for Lopez thought inducing and poetic lyrics, and finally we are hit by Lopez powerful blues Desde Mi Moto, a nostalgic and at the same jubilant tune, which seems to be a kind of celebrations to the past and to the future coming, Lopez at the same time a street rebel and at the same time a popular philosopher here he achieves a beautiful and emotionally powerful record, one that shows many hints at Lopez ability to break musical boundaries without fear, his poetic vision and the maniac charm of his vocals, a true original, a true rebel, and perhaps the TRUE MEXICAN ROCK N ROLL EXPERIMENTALIST AND STREET POET.