Corazon De Perro

Guitar god-in-training Omar Torrez returns with another outstanding album, diverse in styles but held together by his stunning talent. There's a definite nod to Hendrix in the opener "Rich Man," but his playing is far deeper and more varied than you'd get from a Jimi cover band. Torrez isn't afraid to tackle pop sounds (in "A Beautiful Ride") back to back with his dark, sparse, Waitsian "Corazón De Perro," released in a quicker, thicker version as "Dog Heart" on the 2002 album La Danza en mi Corazon. "We Are" is Torrez's anthem of universal brotherhood -- sweet, but you hope you don't hear it on the radio too much or it could quickly ferment. Really, though, Torrez is at his best being attitudinal, as on "Mexican Home," or even on the instrumental "La Danza." Also included is a new version of his smoky version of the classic "Llorona." Torrez sounds more mature on this album, still willing to pull out the speed licks, but aware that playing fewer, deeper notes can be equally powerful. The 11 songs (and one video) on Corazon are tough to pigeonhole, and will be just at home in the collection of a blues or rock fan as in that of a world/Latin listener."