Mana Suenos Liquidos CD

Mana: Fher (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Sergio Vallin (acoustic & electric guitars); Juan Calleros (acoustic & electric basses); Alex Gonzalez (drums, percussion, programming, vocals).
Additional personnel: Bob Tansen (flute); Rick Bartist (trumpet); Juan Carlos Toribio (keyboards, programming); Randy Walman (keyboards, samples); Luis Conte (percussion); Pablo Aguirre (programming); Jose Quintana (background vocals).
SUENOS LIQUIDOS won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Latin/Rock Alternative Performance.
Adapter: Chad M. Goodson.
Personnel: Fher Gonzalez (vocals, harmonica, background vocals); Alex González (vocals, drums, percussion, programming, loops, background vocals); Sergio Vallin (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Juan Calleros (bajo sexto, acoustic bass); Bob Tansen (flute); Rick Bartist (trumpet); Juan Carlos Toribio (keyboards, programming); Randy Walman (keyboards, sampler); Luis Conte (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Benny Faccone.
Recording information: A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA; Classic Recording Rentals; Conway Studios; Mad Hatter Studios; Puerta Azul-Mobile Studio; Quinta Del Mar, Puerto Vallarta.
Photographers: Lucero Gonzalez; Marina Chavez.
Arranger: Maná.
A harmonically wise and confident band capable of loosely wound Latin pop/rock, Maná has returned with some of their best songs of their career stuck to a midday high-gloss finish. No twitchy tokenism here -- it would be ridiculous to lump this music along with the patronizing Latin pop stars crossing over into America's gaze -- but the album's generally mid-tempo moseys can only feature an intriguing cross between Cheap Trick and the films of Carlos Diegues before things seem especially anachronistic. Not due to threading disparate genres together, not due to misguided skill, but for how the band seems more concerned with pin-drop clear production standards than the naturalized, flowing, sit-down-and-play setting the music demands. Difficult to hate, then. A talented misdirection that sold millions. ~ Dean Carlson
As trippy and loose-limbed as the album art may be (echoes of Santana's ABRAXAS), SUENOS LIQUIDOS finds these rockeros Mexicanos creating an ever-more refined sound. It's a free-and-easy rock & roll that's been baked in the Yucatan sun, with all the fun of Bryan Adams, the drive of the Police and an unflinching love of the ballad. With a nylon-string guitar fill here or a harmonized vocal fadeout there, frontman Fher and drummer Alex Gonzalez display an impeccable production sense, enhancing the mood while keeping the mix clear and each instrument distinct.
Fher's gone and caught gypsy fever, with his dreamy, dust-throated crooning about a mermaid enchantress on "Hechicera." Lead guitarist Sergio Vallin provides fine shredding over the song's reggae-rock beat, a familiar Mana sound. "Un Lobo" and "Clavado" are pure chunky-riff fun, songs about the highs and lows of being lost in love. And who could resist all those sweet chorus harmonies? These chicos may be getting a little older, but their music is still full of life, y en Espanol como siempre.
As trippy as the album art may be (echoes of Santana's ABRAXAS), SUENOS LIQUIDOS finds rockeros Mexicanos Mana creating an ever-more refined sound. It's a free-and-easy rock & roll that's been baked in the Yucatan sun, with all the fun of Bryan Adams, the drive of the Police, and an unflinching love of the ballad. With a nylon-string guitar fill here or a harmonized vocal there, frontman Fher and drummer Alex Gonzalez display an impeccable production sense, enhancing the mood while keeping the mix clear and each instrument distinct.
Fher's gone and caught gypsy fever, with his dreamy, dusky crooning about a mermaid enchantress on "Hechicera." Lead guitarist Sergio Vallin provides fine shredding over the song's reggae-rock beat, a familiar Mana sound. "Un Lobo" and "Clavado" are pure chunky-riff fun, songs about the highs and lows of being lost in love. And who could res