La Radiolina (CD - 2007)

One of the most enigmatic and exciting figures in world music, Manu Chao makes each new release an event, via both his fiery, ever-expanding musical repertoire and his larger-than-life rebel persona. LA RADIOLINA is the singer's fourth solo album following the break-up of his Clash-inspired punk act Mano Negra, and it's as musically polyglot as the artist's multi-lingual tongue. Singing capably in Spanish, French, English, and Italian, among other languages, Chao brings a genuine worldliness to his music that goes far beyond mere multi-cultural lip service.

Not surprisingly, the highly political singer is no fan of George W. Bush, yet his activist pulse never interferes with his dazzling, multi-faceted music, which contains traces of everything from flamenco and griot to punk and ska. LA RADIOLINA is as much a distinct portrait of a singular artist, as it is a whirlwind tour of the global underground. minimize