Track Listing

1. Justicia, Tierra Y Libertad
2. Ay, Doctor
3. Fe
4. Sabanas Frias
5. Pobre Juan
6. Porque Te Vas?
7. Mariposa Traicionera
8. Sin Tu Carino
9. Eres Mi Religion
10. No Voy A Ser Tu Esclavo
11. Angel De Amor
12. Nada Que Perder

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7595 in Music
• Released on: 2002-08-20
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Electric and acoustic violinist explores the styles of latin, afro-cuban, jazz and electronica with world beat rhythms.

Amazon.com
With 16 million total units in global sales (1999's MTV Unplugged has sold 3 million copies so far), four-time Grammy winners Maná are one of the biggest Latin rock bands around. Revolución de Amor, the four-piece band's first studio album in five years, continues Maná's ongoing dual interest in themes of love and social issues, and the band is masterful at packaging its potent messages in an accessible guitar-based sound. Hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico, Maná create an organic mix of classic rock, modern rock, and traditional Latin music that will appeal to fans of Santana and Rubén Blades (both of whom make guest appearances here). But the band is also able to attract younger audiences thanks to punkier songs such as "Nada Que Perder," which could very easily break through on K-rock radio stations across the U.S. One of Maná's best albums to date, Revolución de Amor is proof positive that Latin rock can be accessible to a broad range of people who don't speak Spanish. --Tad Hendrickson

About the Artist
Born in Venezuela and living in the U.S since 1990, Jesús Eduardo Florido has established himself as a very versatile musician. His training in the classical tradition has given him the perseverance and work ethics that are needed to succeed in the music world. At the mean time he also has studied Afro-Cuban, Jazz, Rock, and Fiddle music, which combined, with his Latin American roots have produced an eclectic vision of music interpretation.

His influences are as a diverse as one can imagine, names like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Grapelli, Hendrix, Ponty, Shankar and Santana are rarely placed on the same sentence but for him is an everyday combination.

He has bridged the acoustic and electric violin worlds by respecting the capabilities of each one of them and applying them accordingly. American fiddler Mark O‚Connor recognized him when he invited him to teach Latin style fiddling and Improvisation at his camps in Nashville and San Diego. He has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning as part of Mr. O'Connor"s line up of artists.

His playing can be heard on many commercial recordings and with The Paula Mengarelli Band. He has shared the stage with a wide variety of artists from Zubin Metha, Pinchas Zukermann and Itzhak Perlman to Whitney Houston, Moody Blues, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page among many others.

Customer Reviews

Give them the Grammy Live this time!
TEN STARS Revolucion de Amor is !!Excellent!! Do I smell a Grammy? Vicente Fox may be the President of Mexico, but we know who really rules: MANA. Yes, 5 years is too long to wait for a new album, but you can't rush perfection. This album is well planned, and contains a good mix of styles which showcase the talents of Fher, Alex, Juan, and Sergio.

Mana starts the album with it's encore to the historic "Corazon Espinado" from Santana's Supernatural by teaming up with Carlos again on Justicia, Tierra y Libertad, a strong bass and guitar-laden track. Turn this one up.

Of course, this disc features the Traditional Rock Sound which made these pioneers popular: the hypnotic Ay, Doctor, and lead single Angel de Amor being perfect examples. Ay, Doctor will probably end up being their opening song on the upcoming tour due to it's ability to get the listener's heart pumping.

As in each Mana album, Alex (drums) heads up a few songs of his own with Fher (lead vocals) at background. Alex expands his traditional lyrical style with the smooth Fe, and Sin Tu Carino, two of the best song on the disc. Nada Que Perder is reminiscent of the style of music and lyrics we came to know him by in previous albums. Alex's drum demonstration on Nada reminds me of the style of Travis from Blink 182. However, we all know that Alex has been doing this since Travis was 4 years old, so we know who the master is.

In Pobre Juan, the sad story of discrimination, immigration, and heartbreak - Fher breaks out the Harmonica, which he hasn't really done since the days of Rayando el Sol and Vivir Sin Aire in the early `90's.

Mariposa Traiconera, No Voy a Ser Tu Esclavo, and Sabanas Frias are done in the traditional old-school latin/caribbean style, with Ruben Blades appearing as a guest on Sabanas.

Eres Mi Religion - Uses the same formula that made Muelle de San Blas from Suenos Liquidos (1997) a smash hit. While this song carries a different theme, the flow of the song and Juan's haunting bass lines together with Fher's imploring vocals are what will make this song just as great.

This album once again shows Mana's ability to change and grow. This is most apparent in track #6: Por Que Te Vas? A ballad obviously Mana-esque in it's style, but there is one difference - lead vocals come from lead guitarist Sergio (he also wrote it). This shows the willingness of Fher and Alex to relinquish some of the control that they have held over the creativity of the group during the past 15 years. It also shows the true acceptance of the guitarist added to the group 7 years ago prior to the Cuando Los Angeles Lloran disc.

Additional points:

It can be noticed that on this disc, Fher's voice has acquired a more raspy sound when he hits a certain note range. His voice is NOT breaking down as some have inferred. Rather, it has simply matured, and he sounds as great as ever. People need to remember that Fher has been doing this since the days of Green Hat Spies in the 70's. ...

Fernando Vallin, Sergio's brother, joins in on bass on 6 of the songs. He also performed on Mana's 1999 MTV Unplugged album. Check out Mana's revamped website for their interpretation of each song. Oh yeah, and BUY THIS ALBUM.

An advance beyond their past
I realize that I'm operating at a disadvantage in reviewing this CD. I don't speak Spanish (although I took it in high school and college) and I haven't followed Maná throughout their career. I'm just an late-arriving Americano who appreciates good music whatever its country of origin.

Nevertheless, I was blown away by this CD's sound: its harmony, arrangement, and emotion. In fact, I was blown away enough to order the 3-CD set of their earlier CDs on Warner, based on Amazon reviewers' raves about their earlier work. I can appreciate where those reviewers were coming from, but I still like "Revolucion de Amor" the best.

For my money, the earlier Maná was a worthy band in the Police vein, but a bit minimalist. This CD, where they arguably went corporate (or whatever), fleshes out their potential and really delivers.

Hey, even with English-language bands, I usually place the lyrics in the background and concentrate on the overall sound. On that count, this CD delivers as much as, say, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers or the Sisters of Mercy or Procol Harum or Phil Spector's girl groups. Solid harmonies, good musicianship, great balance.

That may just be succumbing to the allures of pop production, but good pop is all too rare, ironically enough.

I hope that the band is working on another CD, three years on, and look forward to what they come up with.

Can Mana Do No Wrong or What ?...
After 5 years without an album since 1997's Suenos Liquidos (Liquid Dreams) Mana has not missed a beat ! Lead member Fehr is sill in top vocal and writing form. He is the Latin equivalent of Sting (vocally). One listen to the first track Justicia, Tierra, y Libertad (Justice, Land, and Liberty/Freedom)will convince new listeners of this ! The rhythms are rich and vibrant with pounding percussion and guitar laden hooks.There are various musical styles (both underlying and upfront) consisting of Carribean, reggae, soft alternative to the last semi alternative ska-like rock track entitled Nada que perder (Nothing to Lose). The captivating mid tempo love ballad Mariposa tracionera (Treacherous Butterfly ) is simply AWESOME ! In rough English terms the song is about a treacherous, woman who betrays her lover by cheating on him. For those who do not understand Spanish, just simply listening to the music would make the listener think it is a beautiful song about a sweet romance...not ! Yet, Mana is able to take these sad lyrics and give them an enchanting melodic feel... This may be the project that will bring Mana to higher heights, yet (especially in America)!