East Side Soul is the second album by the American band the Blazers, released in 1995.[2][3] Although often compared to Los Lobos, the band considered themselves to be more of a standard four-piece rock and roll band.[4] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[5]
| East Side Soul | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Label | Rounder[1] | |||
| Producer | Cesar Rosas | |||
| The Blazers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
Like the band's debut, the album was produced by Cesar Rosas; it was recorded in his studio.[6][7] It contains covers of Jessie Hill's "Ooh-Poo-Pah-Doo" and Canned Heat's "Going Up the Country".[8] Many of the originals were written at the same time as the songs that made up the debut.[9]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Los Angeles Times | [11] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [12] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [13] |
| The San Diego Union-Tribune | [14] |
The Morning Call wrote that "the Blazers' sound spotlights the dual guitar attack of [Ruben] Guaderrama and [Manuel] Gonzales and the tight and versatile rhythm section of bassist Lee Stuart and drummer Ruben Gonzalez, who can swing mightily on a danceable rocker such as 'What's Wrong With You' or lock into the traditional cumbia rhythm of 'Cero 39' with equal ease."[15] The Orlando Sentinel thought that the guitarists "sound like Keith Richards and Ron Wood on 'Before I Get Too Old'."[13] The San Diego Union-Tribune deemed the album "foot-stomping music that makes people dance the jitterbug and the sideways pony, as well as cumbia."[14]
Hispanic concluded that "the band still plays some of the most danceable music with a rockin' edge and cumbias that rule."[16] The Los Angeles Times determined that "the quartet doesn't aim for the sociopolitical undercurrents or carefully groomed textures of Los Lobos, but the Blazers' roots rock—which is more in the raw tradition of the Blasters and, at times, Keith Richards—comes across with such assurance and authority that the album is a fine companion, whether you accept its invitation to pull up a bar stool or step onto the dance floor."[11]
AllMusic wrote that "few bands have ever combined gutsy blues-rock and sheer joyous energy the way the Blazers did on East Side Soul, much less created such a successful and interesting fusion of musical cultures."[10] The Houston Press praised "Cumbia del Sol", calling it "criminally underheard."[17]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fun & Laughter" | |
| 2. | "All Day Long" | |
| 3. | "Before I Get Too Old" | |
| 4. | "Cumbia del Sol" | |
| 5. | "Brother" | |
| 6. | "Let Me Go" | |
| 7. | "Going Up the Country" | |
| 8. | "I'll Stay Right Here" | |
| 9. | "Dance the Night Away" | |
| 10. | "What's Wrong with You" | |
| 11. | "Cero 39" | |
| 12. | "You Didn't Try" | |
| 13. | "Stuck in My Head" | |
| 14. | "Ooh-Poo-Pah-Doo" |
References edit
- ^ Morris, Chris (September 15, 2015). Los Lobos: Dream in Blue. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-74823-1.
- ^ "The Blazers Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ "Blazers – Gallista Gallery (San Antonio, TX)". No Depression. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ Riemenschneider, Chris (27 Aug 1995). "Don't Call Them Los Blazers: Rock 'n' roll has been good to the Blazers". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 6.
- ^ "Blazers at the Dingo". Albuquerque Journal. 7 Nov 1995. p. D7.
- ^ Sherr, Sara (21 June 1996). "Like Los Lobos, the Blazers are a Latino band from...". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15.
- ^ Bulum, Nicholas (August 8, 1995). "A Dose of East Side Soul". Press-Telegram. p. C4.
- ^ "Roadkill". The Austin Chronicle.
- ^ Valds, Alisa (23 June 1995). "The mix is a match for East LA Blazers". Arts & Film. The Boston Globe. p. 61.
- ^ a b "East Side Soul". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Hilburn, Robert (27 Aug 1995). "Album Review". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 79.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 119.
- ^ a b Gettelman, Parry (8 Sep 1995). "The Blazers". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 11.
- ^ a b Guzman Lopez, Adolfo (July 13, 1995). "East Side Soul The Blazers". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 16.
- ^ Sculley, Alan (23 June 1996). "The Blazers Show Off Their 'East Side Soul'". The Morning Call. p. F1.
- ^ Menard, Valerie (Oct 1995). "Blaze on". Hispanic. Vol. 8, no. 9. p. 12.
- ^ Lomax, John Nova. "The Blazers". Houston Press.