Viva Nueva: Victory over The Man

Andrew Raff
July 18, 2001

In the summer of 1999, Rustic Overtones finished recording the album that was going to be their debut for Arista Records. It was delivered to Arista, and promptly sat on, while the A&R execs decided what to do with it and the label went through a change in management. After a year and a half in limbo, the Overtones acquired the rights to their still-unreleased album. This year, with the album in hand, they signed to Tommy Boy records, who finally released Viva Nueva last month.

Although they are frequently (and wrongly) thought of as yet another "jam band," Rustic Overtones feature concise songwriting, a funky horn section and lots of energy. "Viva Nueva" has only one song that breaks 5 minutes long. A six peice ensemble hailing from Portland, ME, the Overtones combine gritty vocals, hammond organ, saxes, strong funky songs to create a compellingly unique sound.

Perhaps the only good thing to come of the delay in the release of the album is that some of the strongest songs on the record, including C'mon, Love Underground and Combustible, were recorded in follow on sessions. Because Viva Nueva was originally paid for out of Arista's deep pockets, it was well produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie), David Leonard and the Overtones. because of the connection with Visconti, David Bowie contributes vocals to "Sector Z."

Singer/guitarist Dave Gutter's lyrics are entertaining (my favorite being from "Crash Landing," "Airplane crashed outside my house... if I let you in, I let in every crash landing/it's nearly 2AM/ you can keep knocking, let the doorbell ring") and his gritty delivery is distinctive. With the organs, analog keyboards and saxophones, it gives the Overtones an instantly and easily identifiable sound.

While I enjoy the Overtones' sound immensly, I find it hard to take for long periods of time. It is very dense and focused, but after a long time, it becomes grating. Sustaining that for a 16 track, 55 minute album is just too much sound for me. The songs that are different-- "Hardest Way Possible," a smoother tune, the swing ballad "baby Blue" and the dark, mysterious "Valentine's Day Massacre"-- are welcome diversions, but the album is otherwise sonically overwhelming. Taken in smaller doses, Viva Nueva is a knock-out. Nearly all of the songs have stuck in my head at some point, particularly "Love Underground" and "Sector Z."

"Sector Z" is one of the best tunes on the album. It features David Bowie singing the chorus, which includes the line "This is Rock and Roll" (one of the original titles for the album) and is a spectacular post-rock rock and roll song. Can wah-wah horns, a very funky clavinet and David Bowie be wrong? While in most intances they probably would be, they work well on this track.

Other guest appearances include Funkmaster Flex on the hip-hop influenced "Smoke" and Imogen Heap singing on the dark, mysterious "Valentine's Day Massacre." But the Overtones stand out when they do what they do best, playing high energy, funky rock tunes with horn lines, complex rhythmic twists and strong hooks, like "Love Underground," "Crash Landing," "Combustible," "Check" and "Boys and Girls."

The only other crticism of Viva Nueva that I have is of the liner notes. I enjoy reading liner notes. But these were printed in small, dense text on a giant fold out poster, so I found it impossible to read the lyrics. The layout of the liner notes made it difficult to quickly scan and find the beginnings of songs in the middle of the album. Even worse was reading something that carries over from one line to the other. While the cover art is well done (propoganda style is rather cool), the liner notes do not measure up to the content of the album.

All in all, Viva Nueva is an excellent album that was worth the wait. It is a shame that while control of the music industry consildates, non-superstar bands like the Overtones can record excellent albums that the suits don't want the public to hear. Viva Nueva is not just a good listen, but every listen is yet another victory over The Man.