reax music magazine :: music + culture » Reviews » El Tule - Volumen 1

 To call El Tule "Latin Rock", "Latin Jazz"  or some name like that would be doing this excellent group a disservice. Yes, this band shines on open-form and well-arranged songs with blistering horn lines and and solid, Tex-Mex dance hall rhythms. But they have more similarity to the classic arrangements of legendary and well-orchestrated acts like Buena Vista Social Club than whatever may be playing on Latin radio. It is this lively rhythm- and jazz-flavored nature in their horn section that sets them apart. Rarely do groups verging on world beat keep their local flavor so well and with so much authenticity, but El Tule sounds like Austin food tastes: familiar, but with some spice. Tracks like "El Chupacabra" feature lyrics steeped in folk myth, deftly plucked guitar lines that have both grit and surf, and snaking horn phrases. One would imagine that this group is quite the live spectacle, and they are booked solid in Austin according to their calendar. Let's hope to see them at SXSW next year.    

www.Myspace.com/ElTule