Mexrrissey (2016)

Mexrrissey (2016)

By: Ghost Writer

In paper it seems like a little curious idea, a little bit awkward, but maybe... Or maybe not, a bit like Macaulay Culkin bizarre project The Pizza Underground, where you simply are not allowed to know where the joke starts and where it ends.

It's a fact that the iconic British singer Morrissey has somehow managed to hit a very deep fiber in the heart and soul of Latin audiences, so a homage of sorts from a group of musicians from México looks like an almost normal statement, but if you consider mariachi like arrangements it looks like something with the impulse to become a crazed experiment, the work of mad scientists, or simply a larger than life disaster, in a way, Mexrrissey is a mix of the three things, it manages to recreate some of the remarkable songs of the mighty Mozz, it allows some really awful translation and adaptation of the songs music and lyrics, mostly absurd or even comic, and other plain miserable, it sounds like a joke, but a bad one.

Featuring the talent of a bunch of local musicians whose mixed inputs turn out somehow as one would expect, IMS mastermind Camilo Lara laid down some almost tribal beats, which lend itself nice and easy for some mariachi music instrumentation to appear, then comes the appearance of two know pop characters, Chetes, a pop singer and guitarist for local legends Zurdok, unfortunately after Zurdok, Chetes aimed to become the Mexican Brian Wilson, but ended up attending his management demand for becoming the loca James Blunt, on bass, Jay de la Cueva, a very well-known musician, and front man for parody rock group Moderatto, neither of them reach the level of vocal depth to fill Morrissey shoes, they sound like a pair of scholars singing to Morrissey songs in their bedrooms.

El Primero del Gang manages to overcome failure thanks to the powerful melody of the original song, and almost ridiculous use of “Spanglish”, you either wonder about the mariachi arrangements, or laugh at the vocals and lyrics, is this a parody record? But the record really great surprise is the appearance of Ceci Bastida, a singer for fiery Tijuana ska punks Tijuana No!, a band with a sound close to Mano Negra or The Clash, Bastida has an interesting experimental career of her own, and here, her singing style manages to deliver the goods despite the lyrics, it seems that Bastida experience as singer easily exceeds that of her partners and allows her to deliver to memorable songs, International Playgirl with its Cha Cha Cha overtones, and Cada Día es Domingo with its mariachi brass and almost danceable beat.

Estuvo Bien, or Suedehead, a flag song for Mozz is perhaps the record most embarrassing moment, with Lara, Chetes and de la Cueva amateurish vocal trade really going nowhere, despite the almost rock n roll feel of the version.

…You can't always been proud of been Mexican, nationalism sometimes is such a shame.