Retro Reviews: Rodriguez: Coming from Reality

 I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. These albums are lesser-known titles.

Rodriguez: Coming From Reality (1971)

****

Producer: Steve Rowland

Musicians: Sixto Rodriguez, Chris Speeding, Tony Carr, Phil Dennys, Jimmy Horowitz, Gary Taylor, Andrew Steele

Songs: Climb Up On My Music, A Most Disgusting Song, I Think Of You, Heikki’s Suburbia Bus Tour, Silver Words?, Sandrevan Lullaby – Lifestyles, To Whom It May Concern, It Started Out So Nice, Halfway Up The Stairs, Cause

Reviewed By Matthew Anthony Allair

    Rodriguez’s second album has come out and it has left me pondering the fates, if you’ll indulge me, the other Latino rock act that has enjoyed a great deal of success is the band Santana, which is a mixed race group, while they aren’t directly a social comment or political band, it makes their music more palpable to the public. That doesn’t take away from the merits of that band, or their success is less deserved, it just means that the risk that Rodriguez is putting forth is greater. He is just as socially penetrating as he was with “Cold Fact” from last year. He has a new producer and the record feels more focused and there’s a fuller sound in some respects. It also feels more conventional in places which is a trade off.

    The opener, “Climb Up On My Music” feels like a mission statement. Aside from the lead work, Rodriguez stretches out on acoustic. The keyboard work from the start is a good edition, the rhythm section with the drum and bass really catches fire.  “A Most Disgusting Song” will probably be the most provocative track, a blues number that feels like it’s channeling a contemporary like Gil-Scott Haron. “I Think Of You” is the first ballad on the album, nice backing support, and rich string arrangement. “Heikki’s Suburbia Bus Tour” is the albums rock tune, and mirrors “Only Good For Conversation” from the last album. ‘Silver Words” is the other pop leaning ballad with good acoustic lead support, and string quartet.

    “Sandrevan Lullaby – Lifestyles” is a two section medley, ‘Sandrevan’ is a somber, wistful instrumental with good playing by Rodriguez and quartet, and ‘Lifestyles’ is a more pointed, penetrating piece, the most Dylan like number examining the desperate facades that people front, with great lines such as ‘she laughed when I tried to tell her, hello only ends in goodbye’. Or ‘America gains another pound, only time will bring some people around, idols and flags are slowly melting’. This track is probably the albums tour de force. “To Whom It May Concern” takes a break with a prominent piano and orchestral arrangement for a song that advocates against relationship victimization and self-empowerment. “It Started Out So Nice” is a lovely blues ballad, which is either about the about the end of a relationship, the loss of innocence, or both. “Halfway Up The Stairs” is the closest to a pop number on the album. The closing number, “Cause” is a stunner, Raw and bleak with stanzas like “because my heart has become a crooked hotel full of rumors, but it’s I who pays the rent,’, the profiles various people and continues with lines like ‘cause they told me everybody’s got to pay their dues, and I had overpaid them.’, it all simply illustrates the toll of our class struggles, and the road that leads to self-destruction. Brillant closer.

    His honesty might not be for everyone, but I hope he continues. While the material might be a fraction less than what was on ‘Cold Fact’, that margin is by very little, this holds up well. We need truth more than lies anyways - his reality is pretty deep.