If You Want it

Album Review

This album may initially disappoint those who enjoyed the give and take between producer/multi-instrumentalist Nova and bassist/vocalist Maya on Pacha Massive's debut, All Good Things. She's nowhere to be found on this follow-up, and while he's replaced her with a string of guest female vocalists, the feeling of a genuine artistic collaboration — a band dynamic — is absent. Another problem is that Nova's production and beatmaking skills far outdistance his lyrical talents. Lines like "I just want to see ya/And dance with you all night/I just want to see ya/And make you feel all right" are placeholders in any language, and the novelty of his Spanglish songwriting — where a verse will be in Spanish and a chorus in English, if he doesn't switch languages mid-line — wears off quickly when it becomes clear how little he's saying. That being said, his guitar work is pretty, the solos subtly Santana-esque, with the melody lines drifting in and out of the mix and the beats downtempo enough to relax and let the album wash past in the humid summer air. The guest vocalists are frequently a welcome presence, particularly Monica Rodriguez on "Just Want to See Ya," "Lejos Cerca," and "Tonight" and Sara Valenzuela on the two versions of "Thinking About You." This isn't a bad album, but Nova should have just taken the credit for it instead of holding onto the Pacha Massive name.