Beck
Guero (Interscope)
Somewhere between 1996’s Odelay and the new Guero, Beck made a lot of friends that know a thing or two about programming. With the Dust Brothers dropping the beats and the fair-haired one providing the flow, Guero is a far cry from the introspective, emotional lyricism of 2002’s Sea Change, but the long-timers will be down with it. Opening rocker “E-Pro” virtually pulls Beck’s electric slide out of the speakers, all sass and sway, muffled words providing a second percussion track. Remember two turntables and a microphone? Well, on “Qué Onda Guero” it’s now a sampler and drum machine; Beck must be the whitest boy in the barrio. The ass-shaking “Girl” is a highly evolved Vulture, while slow jam “Missing” and attitudinal “Black Tambourine” shake Mutations. Scattered with a few skippers, including the Jack White-guested (on bass) “Go It Alone,” Guero isn’t exactly Odelay. It’s more like a photo album tracing the phases in Beck’s musical career. With the exception of the organ and brilliantly sampled female chorus on “Rental Car,” there’s nothing new here. But you know what they say: If it ain’t broke…
This article appears in “The AC” Gen Y Magazine Debuts.