A pure, palpable piece of musical craftsmanship.
Robert Rodriguez's sister Patricia Vonne releases her second album of tex-mex tantalisers and guitar and castanets-led country-latino rockers. Hot off the heels of performing as Dallas/Zorro Girl in 'Sin City' she now returns to music and creating hard-hitting energetic bouts of genre-mixing composition. With a very pretty voice, heard best on 'Lonesome Rider' and a talent for tune-conjuring, Patricia Vonne has concocted a nice little album.
Her songs range from easy Eagles-esque desert rock to Spanish-tinged tunes, her voice has elements of Sheryl Crow and Dolly Parton to it. 'Joe's Gone Ridin'' comes across a little like The Eagles' 'Johnny Come Lately' with the lyrics phrased in a Bob Dylan-esque style. A cool little number.
'Texas Burning' is a very country-rock experience, whilst sounding like a 'Celebrity Skin'-era Hole. 'Rebel Bride' is much bigger rock, bordering on punkiness and maybe having a little to do with Tarantino's 'Kill Bill'. Then 'Lonesome Rider' provides some slower, subtler beauty, only surpassed by the ending song 'La Cigarra.'
'Guitarras y Catanuelas' is a short and snappy Spanish song followed by more vibrant splashes of colour such as the festive 'Fiesta Sangria.' 'Blood On The Tracks' rolls along with rhythmic splendour and flows into the extreme 'Sex Maniac' with a massive saxophone introduction, full of life and excitement.
'La Cigarra' leads the music out of your speakers. It's really very beautifully sung and sounding like a nice Spanish nursery rhyme at times, a proper lovely Latino lullaby. So, all together it's a pretty strong record, a little patchy in places but very listenable and tuneful, a completely bearable musical experience.
Patricia Vonne has made her name in music through her own integrity and song-writing skill; this isn't a career sponged off her brother's fame, it's forged from hard work and true talent. As far as multi-talented actress-song-writer albums go, this is a winner, not quite as good ad Julie Delpy's album but a good stab nonetheless.
If you're a fan of the Spanish/Mexican style met with Texan country and a lashing of rock, then this is for you. It's certainly worth a try, not ground-breaking, but a pretty display of nice tunes and a great example of some good old-fashioned song-structuring. Good looks, good voice, good album, simple as that.