Album Notes

Thanks to the magic of the internet, the unknown band OJO, were revealed to me mixing a lot of different styles with success of their debut album, Minutia. The group themselves split up 4 years ago. A very sad day for OJO, which had some special music with the potential to conquer many eager ears. With the fall of OJO, the different members went in different directions (Spore333 - www.spore333.com, Principle -www.myspace.com/principle, Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies - www.brianwrightmusic.com, and the one that interest us: Chapa - www.chapamusic.com). The former bassist, Russ Chapa, found his way into the studio and returns to take over our ears with 9 titles, A Buyer's Ride, less crazy, but still very interesting and out of the Norm.

It's difficult to find the affiliation between these two formations. Chapa plays in a completely different register, where as OJO mixed metal, funk, and jazz to a more quiet calm. In his album, A Buyer's Ride, Chapa delivers us a Music very well put together and completely Zen. In these 9 titles, Chapa is playing everything from folk music, to country with some Tahitian or Gypsy music, and in a lot of different styles. It is nearly impossible to describe the music with precision, mixing percussion, cello, organ and guitar to carefully crafted stories. Chapa's sound is reminiscent of the experimental Vinyl's of the 70's, such as Silver Mt. Zion, with his aerial quotations that are falsely minimalist. Calming could be the adequate adjective to describe A Buyer's Ride. Chapa's soft voice and the lightness of certain pieces is to appease even the crazy Americans. Chapa's level of words soar with tunes like, From Your Cloud (A dedicated piece to his Father), and the delirious Edna's Thrill (A Ouija Board Ghost Story). A Buyer's Ride finishes up with A Pause In Life. A piece grouping together all the elements of the CD as a conclusion of this album. And despite some lengths and repetitions, A Buyer's Ride allows the discovery of a sincere Artist, touching people liking music without apparent flourishment but internally rich, or those who just simply like musical experiments."

Article by Eric Cambray June 06, 2005
French E-Zine: www.metalorgie.com