Ozomatli is certainly an outlier among the artists featured here. I originally stumbled on them during my college radio days; their first album was released in 1998 and somehow made it all the way out to Maine. Unlike the bands here that have earned the coveted/dreaded "lost bands of the 1990's" tag, Ozomatli managed to be at the right place at the right time, transforming from a local, minor-label group in Southern California into a national major-label sensation.
I never managed to obtain a copy of the first album, for all the spinning I did. However, by a pure fluke, I casually mentioned this is an old colleague and a week later a burned copy of this album showed up in my mailbox. Although I think the band hasn't managed to release two consecutive albums on the same label, Don't Mess With the Dragon reminds me a lot of the debut album. Since the band attempts to fuse about five distinct musical styles, not every track will appeal to everyone (not to mention how to tag this post), but it's clear why this band continues to stay strong.
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