Guero (by Beck, Rock)

Guero, which is Spanish slang for "white boy", feels more like a compilation of all Beck Hansen's different albums, a "Greatest Hits" per se. It's still a good album, and there is a lot of innovation. The headline to this review might be a little misleading, because see, all of Beck's albums are VERY imaginative with loads of musical styles thrown in there. The only reason this album isn't as imaginative, is because of the "Greatest Hits" feeling. As for the content, I wouldn't say that the violence is really a problem. There are a lot of things that are pretty subtle, such as in the song "Girl" he wants to take the girl, "where her soul belongs". And one major thing that is not mentioned in the review is the song "Rental Car" which is presumably talking about a prostitute. From "Rental Car": "She's taking me far, as far as a rental car can go" and "Hey now girl, at the end of the road, down where the reaper is walking alone, singing a death knell, clapping along, at the end of the night, that's the road we'll be on". Though these lyrics are substantial in what they underlying message is, these won't usually be picked up by a younger audience, and even if it is, the way the song is sung it's not in a way that glorifies the subject. What I say: get the album.