LA Futura
Track List Band Members
1- I Gotsta Get Paid Billy Gibbons- Vocals, Guitar
2- Chartreuse Dusty Hill- Bass
3- Consumption Frank Beard- Drums
4- Over You
5- Heartache In Blue
6- I Don’t Wanna Lose, Lose You Produced By
7- Flyin’ High Rick Rubin/Billy Gibbons
8- It’s Too Easy Manana Official Site
9- Big Shiny Nine www.zztop.com
10- Have A Little Mercy
Best Buy Bonus Tracks Label
11- Threshold Of A Breakdown American Recordings/Universal
12- Drive By Lover
The first thing I want to say is this record is what you would want from a ZZ Top record. They kind of lost their way for a while. But Rick Rubin brought them back to their roots. It’s been nine years and it is worth the wait. Billy Gibbons has been saying in interviews that they band wanted to pay homage to their past but utilize today’s technological advances, and the direction with which the group wants to move forward. Hence the album name La Futura.
The opening track, I Gotsta Get Paid, is Gibbons’ take on a rap song called 25 Lighters by his friend DJ DMD (the two have co produced records over the years). You may also be familiar with 4 of the tracks on this record because they released an EP, Texacali, with them on it before releasing this one.
The album progresses nicely, track by track. Chartreuse is classic ZZ Top. You could see it placed on any of their albums from the seventies. Consumption pairs well Chartreuse. Heartache In Blue is great ZZ Top blues and I Don’t Wanna Lose, Lose You is just a kick ass song, probably my favorite on the whole record. I’m not a fan of ZZ Top doing any slow ballad type of songs and between Over You and It’s Too Easy Manana (The solo here is fantastic, I must admit) really don’t do anything for me. After that though, Big Shiny Nine puts you back in the groove and the record ends with a powerful number called Have A Little Mercy. A great feel to it and just a good way to close off a pretty great record.
The main disappointment is that Dusty doesn’t sing any tracks on the record. Unless you bought the Best Buy version, in which Dusty sings Drive By Lover. He does a great job and too bad most people won’t know it unless they bought it. The other bonus track, Threshold Of A Breakdown, I feel should have been on the album. It is worthy of purchasing the Best Buy version for these two songs. It is ZZ Top doing what they do best, rocking with a bluesy feel. Plus you get Dusty singing.
If you thought ZZ Top was over, than you need to reach out and give them another listen. This album is vintage yet fresh. You won’t be disappointed. It’s rare when a band comes back with an album as strong as this. The more you play it, the more you like it. Do yourself a favor: buy it, sit on your tush and listen to it and say I thank you, ZZ top.
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