*** OZOMATLI

(Almo Sounds)

If the music that best defined the zeitgeist of Los Angeles in the '70s was the country rock of the Eagles, and the late '80s were measured by the rage and defiance of N.W.A and Ice Cube, then what sort of sound will come to represent the LA of the late '90s? The debut album of Ozomatli, a 10-piece muticultural crew from Southern California, provides the answer with an original brew of Latin grooves, low-rider funk, reggae, and hip-hop that works as a soundtrack to a post-riot LA. "Super Bowl Sundae," one of the album's highlights, is a perfect example of their hybrid aesthetic: it begins with a sitar and tabla duet, then smoothly moves into a guitar-and-turntable workout, which is followed by heavy hits from the horn section, soaring Spanish harmonies, and baritone rhyming from the group's MC, Chali 2na (who, along with Ozomatli DJ the Cut Chemist, is also a member of the LA hip-hop group Jurassic 5). The result is an inspiring mix of ancient and modern, acoustic and electronic, Spanish and English, politics and dance.

-- Michael Endelman