ZZ Top - La Futura

La Futura is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top, originally released in September 2012 via American Recordings.

The band is composed of bassist and lead vocalist Dusty Hill, guitarist and lead vocalist Billy Gibbons (the band's leader, main lyricist and musical arranger), and drummer Frank Beard. One of just a few major label recording groups to have held the same lineup for more than 45 years, ZZ Top has been praised by critics and fellow musicians alike for their technical mastery.

After what seemed like decades of enticing progress reports from the recording studio, ZZ Top‘s La Futura landed eight years after it’s predecessor.

La Futura kicks off with its most inventive track, “I Gotsta Get Paid”, a buzzing and clattering cover of a rap song whose deliberate tempo brings to mind the band’s latter-day classic “Pincushion”.

From there it’s a trip back into ‘Fandango!’ territory for the shuffling and extremely catchy “Chartreuse”. It’s at this point it should be mentioned that everything sounds right for a ZZ Top record. The guitars are fuzzy and stinging, the rhythm section sounds loose and freed from digital shackles, and Billy Gibbons’ voice wears the years very well.

Without a pause, everything gets boiled down to an even thicker, nastier stew on “Consumption”. Frank Beard hammers away relentlessly on the cymbals as Gibbons delivers short, spitting chords and producer Rick Rubin engages in some creative, dynamics-enhancing cutting and pasting we’d love to see duplicated live.

The mood then shifts rather dramatically for the lovely ballad “Over You”, which finds Gibbons crooning in a most vulnerable and straightforward manner.

And with that, the album’s palette and reach is pretty much established, with more relaxed, familiar grooves such as “I Don’t Wanna Lose, Lose You” dominating the second half. “Heartache In Blue” features some lovely harmonica work from James Harman, while “Flying High” strays from Texas in favor of sunny and somewhat stilted California pop-rock.

The dark, glacially-paced “It’s Too Easy Mañana” stands out here, striking a serious and impressively menacing tone. The song’s sudden uptempo coda also points out what’s missing on some of the record — the surprise and weirdness that elevates the band’s best work into something truly magical.

La Futura serves as an entertaining visit from old friends, and never overstays its welcome.

Check out the tracks: “I Gotsa Get Paid”; “Chartreuse” and “I Don't Wanna Lose, Lose, You”.

This limited double LP set on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl at 45 RPM housed in a gatefold sleeve, includes a digital download of the album and is pressed in the USA.