by Victor W. Valdivia

For Re, Café Tacuba experimented with different styles and sounds, resulting in one of the most wildly varied releases of the '90s. "El Ciclón" is a clavinet-driven funk track that echoes Billy Preston, while "Esa Noche" is a tender ranchero ballad. The raucous "El Borrego," which simultaneously mocks and salutes other Mexican rock acts (Maldita Vecindad gets a name-check), could give Ministry a run for their money in the electro-metal department. If there is a flaw, it's that the band's reach sometimes exceeds its grasp. The album occasionally seems too ambitious, and the songwriting could stand to be a bit more focused; the band's power is sometimes diluted by the diffuse energy. Still, Re proves that Café Tacuba is lyrically and musically more adventurous than most of its '90s peers.