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Blue Man Group

Canta Conmigo

(Self-released; US: 18 Sep 2007)

When it comes to the enigmatic Blue Man Group, the music they create often takes a backseat to the international spectacle they put on (and let us not forget their hilarious appearances on the TV show Arrested Development). Their first album, 1999’s Audio, was an instrumental affair where their homemade percussion instruments dominated the bill, and—ultimately—it sounded like an album made of homemade percussion instruments all lassoed up into pop song structures. With 2003’s The Complex, the group began bringing in vocalists to help add more character to their efforts, and (surprisingly) it worked. Yet the group’s latest offering, the Latin-flavored “Canta Conmigo”, feels bland and short-sighted. This is largely due to the painfully generic club vibe that dominates the song, coming off like a poor Basement Jaxx B-side. Having eight (!) additional remixes doesn’t help matters much either: Funky Junction’s Spanish take on the number feels tired and drawn-out, as does Nickodemus’ Afrohouse Mix. Yet when Onion Swirv throws in a barrage of keyboards and Nickodemus thunders back with a far-better Dub Funk take, just the right amount of spice is added to make things feel interesting.  In the long run, however, we are ultimately treated to a series of remixes of a song that wasn’t even that great to begin with. Better luck next time, guys.

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Evan Sawdey began contributing to PopMatters in late 2005 after contributing for years to his college newspaper The Knox Student. Evan became the Associate Interviews Editor for PopMatters in the summer of 2008, and then the full Interviews Editor a year after that. Since joining, Evan's work has been quoted/featured in a wide array of publications including SLUG Magazine, The Metro (U.K.), the Gulf Times, Soundvenue Magazine (Denmark), and multiple national newspapers. Evan has been a guest on WNYC's Soundcheck (an NPR affiliate), was the Executive Producer for the Good With Words: A Tribute to Benjamin Durdle album (available for free at GoodWithWordsAlbum.com), and wrote the liner notes for the 2011 re-release of Andre Cymone's hit 1985 album A.C. (Big Break Records) as well as the re-release of the JoBoxers' 1983 debut album Like Gangbusters (Hot Shot Records). He is a current member of The Recording Academy. He resides in Chicago, Illinois. You can follow him @SawdEye should you be so inclined.


Tagged as: blue man group
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