Cuervo, Cuervo

CD Review

Remember when you were little and one week you'd decide you wanted to be a skateboarder, so you'd start saying things like "rad" or "thrash" and pretend like you knew what bearings were? Then, just as quickly, the next week you'd rock some Adidas and say you were a break-dancer? Houston quartet Cuervo's self-titled debut LP is like that, and at times it's a damn good skateboarding break-dancer. Each song sees Cuervo morph into a completely different band, ranging from "El Sueño," a pained, complicated ballad that successfully combines the self-pity of mid-'90s rock with modern-day hubris, to "Talisman," a feel-good country-pop song that conjures images of backyard get-togethers and poorly played games of horseshoes. Elton Salazar, Cuervo's raspy-voiced vocal pugilist, is just gifted enough to pull most of the band's variety together. So while Cuervo's versatility may intermittently sound forced or overextended, as on "Dead Red Roses," it also provides them with the innovative, transcendent "Jardín," a unique mainstream staple that magnificently preserves its cultural roots. That song alone should place Cuervo not only at the forefront of the rock en español movement, but on the cusp of national rock recognition as well.

 
My Voice Nation Help
0 comments
Sort: Newest | Oldest
 

Concert Calendar

  • May
  • Thu
    23
  • Fri
    24
  • Sat
    25
  • Sun
    26
  • Mon
    27
  • Tue
    28
  • Wed
    29
Houston Event Tickets
©2013 Houston Press, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Houston

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city