Byrning Hot Salsa

Rei Momo

By David Byrne

Luaka Bop/Sire Records Co., 1989

If the power and energy of David Byrne's newest release, Rei Momo, doesn't knock you to your knees, it will definitely leave you wondering how the drummer didn't pass out from sheer exhaustion. An inspired combination of South American salsa and merengue styles, country and western twangs and violin concertos, Rei Momo has an almost thoroughly upbeat effect that is certain to make you dream of spending next year's Carnival in Brazil.

The frenetic pulse of this album comes from the variety of traditional music styles that Byrne combines with modern lyrics and instrumentation. Of the 15 pieces on the album, only two merengues repeat themselves rhythmically. The rest range from the intense pace of "Loco de Amor's" salsa/reggae to the seductive tension of the bolero, highlighted in "Women Vs. Men."

The number and variety of instruments Byrne employs to stretch these songs to their limits is staggering. In addition to the expected bass, keyboards, electric guitar and saxophone, instruments like the batteria, conga, campanita, guira, huataca, bongo, sencerro, coa, timbal, caixa, surdo, pandiero, mandolin and even two types of batas (iya and itotele) are used. Needless to say, it is clear that Byrne has spent time and research finding the right New World instruments to perfect Rei Momo's South American flavor. His use of Portuguese and Spanish lyrics in such cuts as "Make Believe Mambo" and "The call of the Wild" likewise lends the album the convincing authenticity of a Brazilian release.

"The Rose Tattoo" is one cut that effectively showcases this combination. Co-written by Byrne and W. Colon, "The Rose Tatto" is set to a Bomba/Mozambique beat with somewhat depressing Spanish/English lyrics that reflect on the impossibility of dreams and humanity: "And they were imagining Roses/As if life itself were a dream/Is a gift not a reason for living?/Not enough, not enough, so it seems." The chorus then switches to Spanish with the refrain: "Brinde a la Rosa/Y al hombre que no vive/Perdido en un sueno/en un atmosfera imposible," reflecting again the hopelessness of illusion.

"Good and Evil" is a curious cut on Rei Momo that imposes tension and humor into a Rumba/Llesa sound. Lamenting that "Good and evil, good and evil/They turned 'em loose, they turned into people," this song combines piano and the bata instrumentation of Milton Cardona, Marc Quinones and Jose Mangual, Jr. to reflect the stresses of opposing positive and negative forces. The ending fades into the distance with a melody pattern not unlike a top 40 love song that takes a sharp turn from the salsa; in the context of all the varieties on the album, however, it is thoroughly convincing.

"Women Vs. Men" is another intriguing cut that, despite its content about fighting and misunderstanding, is remarkably seductive. The bolero style of the drums and and woodwinds lends a tango-like aura to the lyrics: "She had psychic defenses/He had animal dreams/They moved closer together/He said let's make a deal..."

If animals are present in "his" dreams, they play an even larger part in the final song of Rei Momo as well. As Byrne gives credits to "frogs, birds and fly samples," so do these unusual "instruments" make up the haunting and harmonic background of "I Know Sometimes a Man is Wrong," in which Byrne sings that he will be incomplete "until you're next to me."

Although these are some of the more outstanding cuts on Byrne's latest LP, the album should really be listened to as a whole. The fast pace of each song runs into the next, making for smooth transitions and the impossibility of turning off the stereo before the whole selection is over.

It is clear that Byrne and the back-up musicians had a fun, if not exhausting, time mixing the styles which make up Rei Momo; one time through this fast paced selection of music will have you having fun as well.