Viva Tu
finds
Manu Chao
at exactly the same spot as
La Radiolina
-- or any of his solo albums, for that matter -- belittling the fact that 17 years have passed since his last studio outing. Once again, this is a set of simple, immediate, and extremely catchy tunes, constructed from bits and pieces of sonic collages that blend electronic loops with acoustic instrumentation, rhythm accents from multiple cultures (albeit with a predominantly Mediterranean and Ibero-American flavor), lyrics sung in half-a-dozen languages, and messages that intermingle personal and sociopolitical issues. And yet, no new
album will be able to match the impact and novelty factor of
Clandestino
, a veritable lighting-in-a-bottle moment for Latin music at the turn of the century. That being said, while sticking to the same old formula, the warm and engaging songs of
sound positively inspired and refreshing. A most welcome return to form for the French-Spanish globetrotting troubadour. ~ Mariano Prunes