Manu Chao knows that his music sounds its best live. That is why he made his debut in 1990 with a live album. That was back then with his band Mano Negra with which he mixed punk guitars, reggae basses, Latin rhythms and socialist rhetoric into a catchy whole. The music he recorded solo was less electric than his work with Mano Negra, but his red heart still beats hard for the underdog. It is
… therefore not surprising that Manu recorded this live album in the Basque Country. Because that country is a bit like Chao himself: small, active and politically aware. On the accompanying DVD you can see that Chao is welcomed by the Basques as a prodigal son. That enthusiasm cannot hide the fact that the live album sounds a bit thin. It is to Chao's credit that he did not decide to paint the guitars extra thick later in the studio. This live album shows exactly how Chao and his band sounded on that sultry summer evening in the Basque Country. (PdK)more