Proxima Estacion: Esperanza

by Manu Chao

Overview

Clandestino, Manu Chao's first solo effort, owed its greatness to its character. It was a minimalistic, yet filled with experimentation, album. But, what's most distinctive, it was honest, direct, intimate: the personal diary of someone who had traveled a lot, not only around Latin America but through life. Unfortunately, Chao seems to lose his way a little bit in Esperanza. Apparently intended to be a continuation of what started in Clandestino, it ends being just a clone of it. The reiteration of ideas and formulas takes away from Esperanza everything that made of Clandestino a memorable piece of work. The problem with Esperanza is that Chao, instead of deepening what he proposed in his first album, seems to overfly the surface of his ideas. The consequence of this is that he transforms charm into cliche, leaving the listener with a very light flavor. Anyway, Esperanza still has a bunch of great songs ("Mr Bobby," "Mi Vida," "Trapped By Love," "Me Gustas Tu," "Bixo") and good lyrics ("Mi Vida") which amply justify its listening. Dedicated fans will find that Esperanza is not what they were expecting, yet it's really easy-going and accessible so it will end working for them as well as for casual listeners. ~ Alberto Moreno de la Fuente

Product Details

Release Date:	12/10/2013
Label:	Because Music / Radio Bemba
UPC:	5060281616067
Rank:	53351

Tracks

1. Merry Blues
2. Bixo
3. Eldorado
4. Promiscuity
5. La Primavera
6. Me Gustas Tu
7. Denia
8. Mi Vida
9. Trapped by Love
10. Le Rendez Vous
11. Mr Bobby
12. Papito
13. La Chinita
14. La Marea
15. Homens
16. La Vacaloca
17. Infinita Tristeza

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Manu Chao   Primary Artist
Valeria Dos Santos Costa   Vocals
Mostafa El Hafer   Vocals

Technical Credits

Manu Chao   Producer,Artwork,Composer,Performer
Valeria Dos Santos Costa   Composer
Mostafa El Hafer   Translation
Renaud Letang   Producer
Tito Velez   Composer
Jean Baptiste Mondino   Photography
Youri Lenquette   Photography
Francois Meslouhi   Composer