Search - Devendra Banhart :: What Will We Be (Limited Edition)

Another Great Album from Devendra

A. Woodley | 10/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really enjoy Devendra and his albums. His last two albums, Cripple Crow and Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, have been more clean and radio friendly than his earlier work (his earlier work is also great though). This album fits into the more radio friendly sound of Devendra (you'll still never hear it on the radio though). In fact, this may be Devendra's most polished or produced album yet. Despite this fact, in a weird way this album is a call back to some of his earlier work. I believe it feels that way because of the double tracked vocals. Even with the double tracked vocals though, it doesn't have the same experimental feel of his first work. This is a perfectly laid back album for relaxing. There are less up tempo numbers than on Smokey but the albums fits together very nicely as a whole. The album doesn't feel as grandeous as Smokey did. It defintly has a more intamit feel to it. I am not saying Smokey was grandeous in a bad way because I really enjoyed that album as well. What Will We Be just shows a different side of Devendra. If you are a Devendra fan, than you need to but this album. Whatever you want to label it, Freak Folk or whatever else, Devendra is in the top of his field."

Why the hate?

Tall, Dark & Handsome | Chicago IL | 11/22/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm completely mystified by the contempt with which most critics are treating this album. While it's obviously not for everyone, I can't see why it would inspire such hatred; maybe they hate Banhart's beard or the fact that he dated a Hollywood starlet. To my ears, this album is full of warm, organic, memorable tunes with lots of variation from song to song. If you like his last two albums, I'm pretty sure you'll like this."

One day at a time...

carlos matsuo | Tijuana | 11/08/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album was recorded in Mexico, and maybe that's why it has a subtle layer of mexican sounds in some of the songs. I think of Angelika and Can't help but smiling. But, really, this album is an example of anachronism. It has no space (it's from nowhere) and no time (it's the 70's (Rats), the '50s (Chin chin and muck muck), and the 60's ("Maria Lionza" could have been written by Simon & Garfunkel and we haven't noticed))



Another thing is you can't really place this album in any genre. Be it freak-folk, brasilian tropicalia revival, jazz or reggae. It is a collage of all of them.



4 stars, specially "Last song for B", "Foolin", "Walilamdzi" and "Brindo"."