Joseph Rodriguez (Metalbossa)
Reviewed by Steve Gilmore on (19 February 2008)

You would think, given the amount of time I have been reviewing internet-only music that I would have pretty much heard everything under the sun. Not a bit of it. New things are coming up all the time as you are about to discover. Now I've laid some strange mixtures on you but believe me, this next one is a doozy. Imagine, Joseph Rodriguez thought, if you could blend heavy metal with (say, for instance) bossa nova. Being a man of action, no sooner had he thought it, it was done. And he was banging down my door asking for a review already :D Heavy metal and bossa nova? Come on, I HAD to listen..


In one way I am glad because Joseph is a fiery guitarist in the Carlos Santana manner, or at least he does on this track. Like a lot of capable musicians, I'm sure he has a few different stances which I guess we find out in later reviews. So Metalbossa is going to assume that you like rock music, especially of the more complex kind and have a thing about guitarists. I have all those afflictions so I am bound to like a track with this much rock going for it. Or am I?


My first indication I was heading for trouble was when I could have sworn I heard something that sounded suspiciously like music Yes would have made in their prog-rock heyday. And therein lies the trouble for me in this track; merely a preference thingie. There is no disputing either the quality of the playing or the production (except it faded out extremely abruptly) because on this track Joseph Rodriguez shows he can shred with the best of them. I like the kinda patchwork way the bossa nova all fits into this too but not enough to get over my own personal dislike of this genre. Nonetheless, I be listening to some more of this artist, you can take that to the bank.

Highly Recommended blend of styles.

Rated 9 / 10

Steve Gilmore