Manu Chao, real name Jose-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao, became world-famous in 1998 with his first solo album
Clandestino. He then scored another hit in 2001 with Me Gustas Tú, taken from his second album
Próxima Estación Esperanza. His relaxed mix of Spanish- and French-language songs, with touches of South American and African music, sounds quite peaceful on his records, while his live shows are
… more like punk concerts. Viva Tú, his fifth studio album, again bears little resemblance to his live sound in terms of style. But the songs dominated by acoustic guitars are nowhere near the level of those on his first records. On paper, his collaboration with 91-year-old Willie Nelson immediately stands out, although in practice it disappoints: Nelson is actually barely audible. Small highlights are fortunately there, such as the São Paulo Motoboy sung in Portuguese. The greatest merit of Viva Tú is that Manu Chao inspires you to listen to his old work again. (JV)more
