It's fire
If you're a fan of Ozomatli and someone who'd never heard of them asked you what genre they are, chances are you wouldn't be able to give him/her an answer (what their very name means is a head-scratcher). But their latest album Don't Mess with the Dragon is filled with great stuff.

"Can't Stop" is an ideal way to open the album because you indeed won't be able to stop playing the disc after that track. From there you'll find standouts like "Here We Go", "When I Close My Eyes" and the necessary tribute-to-your-hometown, "City of Angels". And an Ozomatli album wouldn't be complete without some Latin tunes, so "La Gallina" and "Violeta" are good examples of that.

I only gave the album four stars because a few of the songs start to sound the same after a while and also, it's pretty hard to top their previous album, Street Signs. But Don't Mess with the Dragon is still a blazin' album that belongs in your collection.

Anthony Rupert

This is more mainstream than earlier Ozo
Which may be why some listeners object. "Dragon's" good and it may be their entree into more acknowledgement. "Street Signs" is probably my favorite of their CDs and more indicative of their work, but this is still a great melange of a lot of different styles and worth the investment.

Actually, 4.5 stars!
Truth is, I barely liked this disk after the first listen. I thought the guys had "sold out" and made a disk that was too pop-ish, slick and lightweight. But then I played it a few more times and, DAMN, these songs are stuck firmly in my head. I still think Street Signs had three songs better than everything on this disk, but overall I have come to thoroughly enjoy Dragon for what it is... different, fun and very energetic. Ozo is one of the coolest bands around and if this disk draws in some new fans to mix with us old ones (I discovered them in 2005), then I'm OK with the "selling out".

NOTE: If you want to buy their very best, get Ozo's Live at the Filmore set!!!! That one earns 5.5 stars.

Fantastic, Ecclectic Mix
Compared to the rest of the music Ozo has put out this is probably their most solid integration of various types of music. With a lot more Asian influence on this album I think they hit the nail on the head. Most of the songs get your foot tapping and the lyrics in English are quite profound. Highly recommended! It has been in my CD player since I bought it last month!

Expanding their musical scope.
Their usual high energy with another "take" on the avenue of employing rap technique that helps someone who is 60 (which I am) appreciate one style of rap as a valid form of musical expression.