by Martine Ehrenclou
Having just seen ZZ Top in concert, I searched online for music they hadn’t performed live in their show. I stumbled upon Perfectamundo, the debut solo album by Billy Gibbons, the legendary blues guitarist and front man for ZZ Top. The first two tracks whiplashed me into the 21st century with a fresh, Afro-Cuban feel, Latin percussion and Gibbons’ trademark guitar tones and groove.
This is no ZZ Top album.
Backed by a new band, the BFGs, Perfectamundo is a blend of blues, jazz, Latin percussive rhythms and funky beats. Gibbons’ trademark guitar solos and licks highlight this departure from the hard driving, commercial rock-blues from past ZZ Top albums.
Perfectamundo is as the title of the album insinuates—exceptional. A bundle of contradictions and a true delight.
“Treat Her Right,” (see video below) is definitely one of the hits of the album with its catchy rhythms accentuated by timbales and congas. Gibbons voice is heavily auto-tuned, done for the vocal effects. If I’d heard that before listening to the album, I might have been turned off. But it definitely works. In fact, the effects enhance Gibbons’ vocals given the flavor of this album. I’m not a fan of auto-tune because I mostly prefer natural vocals, flaws and all. But with Perfectamundo, auto-tune also serves to differentiate Gibbons’ voice from his distinct vocal tones with ZZ Top. Smart move.
The opening track, “Got Love If You Want It,” is a blues-Latin number punctuated by congas and Gibbons’ precise and soulful guitar licks. His signature tone and groove are ever present throughout this song. It’s a danceable tune, preferably in a sweaty, dark bar at 1am.
“You’re What’s Happening Baby” opens with slide guitar, heavy bass lines and timbales. The sound has a raw quality, perhaps because of the organ (a Hammond B3 played by Mike Flanigan) and distinct back beat of the drums played by SoZo and Melanie DiLorenzo. It’s the song you’d be listening to in a club south of the border after a couple of shots of tequila.
“Sal Y Pimiento” is a zesty tune with a strong Cuban feel and features riffs on natural piano and the Hammond B3. The timbales and congas spice up the tune’s synth and organ lines. Innovative to say the least.
“Hombre Sin Nombre” didn’t quite do it for me. Perhaps because it harkened back to a couple of ZZ Top’s big commercial hits that were lots of flash with little gas. The song just didn’t gel for me like the others.
“Baby Please Don’t Go” is another of my favorites. Its groove and downbeat conjure a big dirty sound. Paired with Gibbons’ synthesized voice, it’s one of the interesting contradictions on the album.
“Q’ Vo” finishes the album with an old school jazz-blues feel. It has great rhythm going for it. That might sound redundant, because with Gibbons, rhythm is everything on this album. He studied Latin percussion with legendary Tito Puente when he was young. And it definitely shows.
Perfectamundo: Billy Gibbons And The BFG’s is available on:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2kRJiSz
iTunes: goo.gl/k1lbiw
That’s a very cool feature, thanks for sharing.
David,
Thanks for commenting. Glad you liked it.
Nice review and I love the music! Great to have the video in your review.
Barbara,
Thanks for your comment. Glad you like the review and the music! Perfectamundo is my new favorite album of 2016. Glad you appreciated the video too.
It’s a great album.. got it as soon as it was released on iTunes. I hear what you’re saying with autotune. As excellent as the album is, I do have a hard time distinguishing it from a ZZTop album when it comes on and my iTunes is on shuffle.
Marty,
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you, it’s a great album. I love it.
Actually, I liked the vocal effects on Gibbons’ voice. I thought they added to the overall feel of the album. I don’t always like auto tune but in this case I did.