Aguilas and Cobras

Brownout, the Austin, TX-based, largely instrumental alter ego of Grupo Fantasma, gets deep into the Latin funk on this second full-length. While opening track "Con el Cuete" is reminiscent of Jorge Santana's group Malo in its mix of complex rhythms, punchy horns, and rock guitars, other tracks seem closer in spirit to bands like War and Mandrill, as well as '70s movie soundtracks. The only track that fails on the album's entire first half is "Tell Her She's Lovely," a drifting psychedelic love song that really seems out of place, and falls short of the group's capabilities. The majority of this album is funky as hell, instrumentally impressive (with solos fitting seamlessly into the grooves), and shifts through a variety of moods, from the cinematic drift of "C 130" to the keyboard-soaked almost-rock of "Slinky" and the high-speed cop-show energy of "Chanclas de Ninja." Aguilas and Cobras is an excellent Latin funk album that will quicken the hearts of fans of retro grooves — basically, if Malo's debut and the Fania All-Stars' Latin-Soul-Rock are touchstones in your record collection, you're gonna love this.