Search - Randy Garibay :: Invisible Society

Veteran Tex-Mex bluesman Randy Garibay has a decidedly different, and eminently entertaining, ethnic perspective on the genre. The San Antonio singer-guitarist can rip through the electrified protest of the title track, deliver a traditional Mexican ballad like "Dime Como Le Haces," and wail on a low-down blues tune like "Love Ain't Nothin' but the Blues" with equal ease. Garibay's musical expertise is unusually wide-ranging, but it's his ability to personalize the music, such as on "Los Trabajos Blues," where he effortlessly transforms a Jimmy Reed rhythm into a contemporary Chicano work song, that sets him apart. Garibay, a friend and protégé of Doug Sahm, also revisits his extensive R&B background with an excellent rendition of Buster Brown's rollicking classic "Fannie Mae" that showcases his soulful voice and stylish guitar. "Where Are They Now?" digs even deeper with a retro tribute to a litany of San Antonio soul pioneers who melded the sounds of the barrio with the sounds of the ghetto. Throw in a tasty salsa selection in "Lindo San Anto" and a short macho country ditty, "A Cold Night in Afghanistan," to conclude the album, and Garibay's title-track advice to "forget the Alamo" becomes persuasive even to native Texans. --Michael Point