Guero
Beck
The Verdict: Beck stays true to his style, keeping his music completely original and refreshing.
4 out of 5 stars
In all of its innovative glory, Guero comes as a testimony to Beck’s playful interpretation of music. Trademark drum beats and funky rhythms grab you from the start and carry you through another Beck masterpiece.
Reminiscent of previous albums, Guero is truly its own invention as Beck simply expresses his growth as an artist. Yet simple is far from what you’ll get. Layer after layer, the album unfolds into a 50-minute taste of Beck’s insatiable greed for as many genres as he can get.
The album comes together as a sort of friendly exchange between Sea Change and Odelay. Beck’s comedy and lamentation merge into a well-balanced composition.
The album’s single “E-pro” successfully introduces this new exhibition with its insanely infectious melody accompanied by Beck’s powerful poetry.
Reflecting on Beck’s east L.A. roots, “Que onda guero” follows up with a playful Latin flavored tune, a sound that is more subtly laced within the album as a whole.
The melancholy of Sea Change creeps in on “Missing,” the album’s fourth track, and comes full force four tracks later in “Broken Drum.” Beck executes emotion-laden lyrics to his beautifully painful compositions.
Adding to his playful side, Beck’s eclectic style is everywhere. The sounds of Beck meeting Tetris open the third track “Girl,” while the later track, “Rental Car,” serves up a little retro with sounds that hint at a possible Partridge Family reunion.
Perhaps the only down moment in the album is the slightly overdone track “Hell Yes.” But despite an unfortunate gray area, Beck’s diversity takes him to a level of his own, and his genius is hard to ignore when considering that these elaborate creations are pretty much a one-man show.
Always refreshing aside the horrors of mainstream music, Beck is again giving us just what we’d expect-his ever-evolving talent out for another round of originality. With such an elaborate mix, Guero screams of Beck’s undying ability for musical innovation and proves that he’s not slowing down any time soon.