Mescalero

1	Mescalero 3:50
2	Two Ways to Play 4:15
3	Alley-Gator 3:29
4	Buck Nekkid 3:02
5	Goin' So Good 5:34
6	Me So Stupid 3:33
7	Piece 4:19
8	Punk Ass Boyfriend 3:05
9	Stackin' Paper 2:58
10	What Would You Do 3:03
11	What It Is Kid 4:13
12	Que Lastima 4:24
13	Tramp 5:12
14	Crunchy 3:13
15	Dusted 3:55
16	Liquor 3:22

Barnes & Noble

Thirty-three years after convening their grand celebration of Texas boogie 'n' blues, ZZ Top continue to mutate without ever deviating from their template of sharp-dressed riffs, incendiary solos, two-ton grooves, and humorous, politically incorrect lyrics. This time out, guitar hero Billy Gibbons adds numerous flavorings beneath his massive-sounding fretwork, most notably tinkering with his rhythm section. Bassist Dusty Hill's low end frequently rumbles into the distorto-bass terrain of techno and thrash, while drummer Frank Beard adds percussive throbs inspired by clubland. But don't let that marimba on the title track confuse you -- this isn't a crossover record any more than Eliminator was. This is fun, low-concept, high-octane rock. Powered by titles like "Buck Nekkid" and "Me So Stupid," along with an onslaught of suggestive single-word titles -- "Piece," "Tramp," "Dusted," "Liquor" -- Mescalero aims to unleash the boogie chile within. And succeeds. Seth Kaufman

All Music Guide

Ever since ZZ Top signed with RCA, they fitfully tried to break free of the synthesized blues that once was their savior but quickly became a straitjacket. Like any addict, it was hard for them to quit that processed, sequenced sound cold turkey, so they weaned themselves off the robo-boogie, sometimes relapsing and adding too many synths to mix, other times breaking loose with some credible boogie. Apart from the misstep of 1999's XXX, they showed signs of life on all their RCA albums, and their fourth, 2003's long-delayed Mescalero, is no exception to the rule. Billy Gibbons' fat guitar tone really has some presence here, at least on some of the album, and there are enough rhythm tracks not performed to a didactic click track to provide some real swing. There are even moments that suggest Gibbons' songwriting chops might be returning, such as the closing "Liquor," the rampaging instrumental "Crunchy," and the lithe "What Would You Do." On these cuts, along with a cover of Lowell Fulson's "Tramp," ZZ Top sound like a worthy veteran act, returning to their strengths and building on them, although the rest of the record is pretty much devoted to by-the-books latter-day ZZ Top. Stephen Thomas Erlewine