Manu Chao, the man beloved by dreadlocked hippies and fisherman-panted backpackers around the globe, was in Australia last month to play two headline shows and a couple of festival slots – hence, an opportune time for the re-release his 2009 live album, Baionarena.
Backed by his extremely able live band Radio Bemba, Baionarena covers both early songs written by Chao with his former band Mano Negra (“Mala Vida” and a rousing version of “Casa Babylon”) and a large chunk of his solo output.
Fans of 2001’s Proxima Estacion: Esperanza will be pleased by the presence of a solid handful of tracks from that album, especially the frenetic ‘La Vacaloca’, and an extended ‘La Primavera’ which morphs into the up-tempo crowd favourite ‘Me Gustas Tu’.
This particular brand of world music is heavily reggae/ska/rock infused. Chao generally doesn’t veer too far from this style, but his warmth and fervour ensure that, even over the course of two discs, there’s never a monotonous moment.
Similarly, though his lyrics may be incomprehensible to many, the zest and passion he brings to his music transcend any language barriers.
Chao’s idiosyncratic voice is in fine fettle throughout this expansive 33 track set. The brilliant Radio Bemba almost steal the show though, with their marching percussion beats and wah-pedal guitar solos.
Chao is a bit of a legend, not just musically but also linguistically – the man speaks, and sings in, French, Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese and Galician – but you don’t have to be a multi-lingual master to enjoy this uplifting collection.
