Originally published in Verbicide issue #4

This has got to be one of the most fun albums I’ve heard this year. When I first put this in my CD player to review it, I couldn’t get myself to skip forward through any of the songs. Imagine if Cheech and Chong were punk rockers, and combine ‘em with Weird Al Yankovic: and there you have it, folks! Manic Hispanic gives an interesting Mexican spin to classic punk anthems, including The Offspring (“Get Them Immigrated”), Rancid (“Ruby Cholo”), and The Clash (“I’m So Bored With You Esse”). The album also features versions of tunes by the Ramones, Bad Religion, Dead Kennedys, Descendents, and X (“Brown Girl,” featuring X guitarist Billy Zoom). So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go eat a burrito and listen to this record again.

(BYO Records, PO Box 67609, Los Angeles, CA 90067)