Now that Beck has effectively exorcised his personal demons with 2002's hyperconfessional Sea Change, he can get back to the business of being a total fruit loop. We all know what that involves: videogame sound effects, random shouting in Spanish, and rhymes about popsicles and vegetable vans. And that's just the second track. Guero is like every Beck album condensed into one, a no-holds-barred collision of two-turntables and a microphone with the added bonus of guitars, bossa-nova beats, Jack White, lyrics about spaceships, and dumptrucks full of ideas all fighting to be heard above the ruckus. It's an exhausting and exhilarating listen with lots of peaks, such as the digitized power ballad "Broken Drum" and handclap-drenched folk freak-out "Farewell Ride," and more than enough to restore anyone's faith in Beck as one of the most chaotically inspired songwriters of our time. -- Aidin Vaziri

Three years after the critically acclaimed and heartwrenching opus "Sea Change," THREE-TIME GRAMMY WINNER and FIVE-TIME MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD WINNER BECK returns with his most diverse, accomplished and compelling work to date: "GUERO."

With the raucous first single "E-Pro" triumphantly "na-na-na"-ing Beck's return with a must-be-seen-to-be believed video by Shynola (Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead), "GUERO" both reunites Beck with classic co-conspirators the Dust Brothers and explores territories uncharted by even this most innovative artist of his generation.

Japanese pressing of Beck's 2005 album, features the same content and packaging as the US limited edition. Please note the bonus DVD will0 be a NTSC/Region 2 pressing. Very limited deluxe double disc edition features the full 13-track album plus seven bonus tracks on the audio disc, 'Send A Message To Her', 'Chain Reaction', 'Clap Hands', 'Girl' (Octet Remix), 'Broken Drum' (Boards of Canada Remix), 'Still Missing' (Royksopp Remix) and 'Fax Machine Anthem' (Dizzee Rascal Remix). With the bonus technologically groundbreaking DVD featuring a 5.1 surround sound mix of the album coupled with interactive video remixes of each track (designed by acclaimed video artists D-Fuse). Over 100 unique visual possibilities -- as directed using the remote control's "angle" button! The set includes and exquisite 52 page booklet of art chosen by Beck. Universal. 2005.

I was not a huge fan of Midnight Vultures -- I don't seem to ever feel like playing it -- but almost everything else Beck has done has been genius, and this overlooked album is no exception. It amazes me how something this original and this good didn't get more attention. When I first got it I played it all the time, then I put it away for a few weeks and then had to start playing it all the time again. As the months/years go by, it's earning a place among the albums that will never grow old for me -- Abbey Road, SuperUnknown, Exile on Main Street, The Bends. Classics of all kinds...like Guero.

I've been a Beck fan since Mellow Gold came out. And I'm probably one of the few Beck fans that thinks Mellow Gold was not one of his better albums (aside from maybe 5 songs on it.) I loved Odelay (who didn't?) and I dug a lot of his work on Mutations and The Information...but in my opinion this is his most complete album out of them all. Odelay is close but even it had a little filler injected in it. I bought this CD in 05' right after it was released (2nd day in fact) and I still love it now as much as I did the first time I heard it. It still gets regular play in my CD player and hasn't grown old on me at all. It starts off great with E-Pro and just keeps going like a runaway train. And while the lyrics still fail to make sense at times (Beck has always been good at that), it doesn't take away from the album, the music, or his amazing voice which I have always enjoyed. I consider Beck to be the Dylan of the new generation...except his voice sounds a lot better and he doesn't write songs as good as Dylan (nobody else does either, there's only one Dylan.) I highly recommend this album to anyone, just buy it as soon as you can, it's a joy to listen to.

Favorite songs include:
E-Pro
Scarecrow
Farewell Ride
Earthquake Weather
Go It Alone
& Emergency Exit

Beck takes it up a notch with another collection of mostly great songs with the Dust Brothers in full support. As always the fans are divided. Many love this cd and others dismiss it. Beck is not going to stay stuck in a genre and create the same kind of musical experience. You have to be willing to go on his trip with him. Lots of terrific music here.

Beck for over a decade has made great, interesting alternative/rock albums. Guero is his sixth release and while you hear his maturity throughout it still has Beck's signature imagination. It has happy, hippy, soulful rock tunes that you'd expect from Beck. He has always been folk at times to pop to electronic to funk & disco to country and rap you would always get a wide range of styles in his music. So Guero isn't as outrageous as his previous release, but I think it's due to him just growing up and maturing. You can't be so juvenile forever can you?

The album opens with "E-Pro" a catchy and groovin' song with it's electronic vibe and Beck's patented rap/sing vocal style. It also contains "Girl", which has sloppy keyboards and breaks into a upper-paced folky sorta pop rock tune that you can dance to. "Rental Car" is one of my faves on Guero with it's upbeat/hip hop style with Beck's goofiness mixed in of course. Beck is an extremely talented and creative artist with the imagination to the sky so any music he puts out I always enjoy.

A deliberate step backward, and a deliberate nod to the critical consensus that Odelay is his best work, Guero doesn't sound nearly as fresh as it needs to. Most of the songs sound like leftovers from Odelay, while "Broken Drum" seems left over from Sea Change. While there is something almost appealing in an iconoclast paddling to the middle of the road, this does not make the record good listening. While just flat derivitive, dull tracks ("E-Pro," "Scarecrow") alternate with a few nice moments (notably the funky, catchy "Girl") and some perfectly passable, almost interesting songs ("Earthquake Weather," "Black Tambourine,") the primary approach: sound collage, scratching, and grab-bag of styles has not only been done before, and better, but its been done before and better by Beck himself.