''Soul Food Taqueria'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American multi-instrumentalist and composer

Tommy Guerrero Tommy Guerrero (born September 9, 1966) is an Indigenous American musician, composer, and professional skateboarder. Early life Guerrero was born in San Francisco, California. He is of Ohlone-native, Chilean, and Filipino descent from his fat ...

. It was released on April 8, 2003, by Mo' Wax Records. The album was recorded during 2002 and 2003 in sessions at the Function 8 record label's studio in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Production, instrumentation and songwriting was primarily handled by Guerrero, with contributions from producers Gadget and Monte Vallier. Rapper

Lyrics Born Tsutomu "Tom" Shimura (born September 2, 1972), better known by his stage name Lyrics Born (formerly Asia Born), is a Japanese-American rapper, singer, and producer. He is one half of the duo Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker. Early life Shim ...

and singer Gresham Taylor performed the few vocal tracks present on the album. ''Soul Food Taqueria'' consists mostly of

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

and

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

-based

chill-out music Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...

. It also incorporates influences from

Latin soul Latin soul (sometimes used synonymously with Boogaloo) was a short-lived musical genre that had developed in the 1960s in New York City. It had consisted of a blend of Cuban mambo with elements of Latin jazz and soul music. Although short-lived, ...

, R&B,

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...

, and

lo-fi music Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

. Its cover artwork, depicting a taquería that also serves

soul food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

, was designed by artist

Stephen Powers Stephen Powers (1840–1904) was an American journalist, ethnographer, and historian of Native American tribes in California. He traveled extensively to study and learn about their cultures, and wrote notable accounts of them. His articles we ...

. The album did not receive significant promotion, and no

radio single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

s were issued. While it did not appear on any

record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often ...

s, ''Soul Food Taqueria'' was well received by most critics, who applauded its diverse style and production quality while deeming it an improvement from Guerrero's previous record, ''A Little Bit of Somethin'' (2000).

Recording and production

Recording for ''Soul Food Taqueria'' took place at the recording studio of the San Francisco-based independent label Function 8 from 2002 to 2003.Guerrero (2003), p. 2. Mostly handled by Tommy Guerrero, production for the album also featured audio mixing contributions from producer/

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

s Gadget and Monte Vallier. Prior to these sessions, Gadget and Guerrero had previously worked together on independent label projects and collaborations, including their collaborational studio effort, ''Hoy Yen Ass'n'' (2000) for Function 8. Most of the instrumentation for the album was employed by Guerrero, while session drummer

Chuck Treece Chuck Treece (born May 30, 1964) is a session musician and professional skateboarder from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1984, he became famous for being the first African-American skateboarder to be featured on the cover of ''Thrasher'' magazin ...

and keyboardist Greg Galbreath also contributed to ''Soul Food Taqueria''. All of the album's material was written and arranged by Tommy Guerrero.Carroll, Bryan. Review: ''Soul Food Taqueria''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved on 2009-10-25. The album is primarily

-based and

, as recording and production followed a

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

and

aesthetic.Johnson, Carmen
Review: ''Soul Food Taqueria''
''Prefix Mag''. Retrieved on 2008-12-28.
Ink 19. Retrieved on 2008-12-28. Gadget also assisted in vocal production for the album's three vocal tracks, "Organism", "It Gets Heavy" and "Getting It Together". In contrast to Guerrero's previous studio album ''A Little Bit of Somethin''' (2000), production for ''Soul Food Taqueria'' was more polished, despite Guerrero stating that he is "still down with the fucked up 4 track action" upon the album's release.dk presents: Buried Treasure - Soul Food Taqueria
. WordPress. Retrieved on 2009-01-25. During recording, the instrumentation,

sequencing In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (sometimes incorrectly called the primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. Sequencing results in a symbolic linear depiction known as a sequence which succ ...

and mixing were more detailed than its predecessor's, as noted by one critic who wrote "everything sounds much more polished and in tune with their surroundings."Ho, Brian
Review: ''Soul Food Taqueria''
''Dusted Magazine''. Retrieved on 2008-12-28.

Musical style

Music writers note that the album was inspired by the

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

music scene, with

's Bryan Carroll citing the "general street vibe of San Francisco's Mission district".

BBC Collective ''Collective'' was an "interactive culture magazine" hosted by the BBC's website bbc.co.uk and run using the "DNA" software developed for h2g2. It was launched in May 2002 and became interactive four months later. Among its editors were Rowan K ...

editor Matt Walton described the music as " chillout music". According to one music writer, the title of the album reflects its "spicy fusion of soul, funk, hip-hop and Latin flavors stirred up in an intoxicating downtempo gumbo that is hard to resist". According to Carmen Johnson of ''Prefix'' magazine, the album has Tommy Guerrero, a San Francisco-native, "oozing soul in every track". She also described the music of ''Soul Food Taqueria'' as "an exploration into soulful, bass-heavy

trip-hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tempos ...

that combines a lot of twists and sweeps through many genres and styles". The album's music mixes 1970s

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

elements with

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

-style

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

s, as well as R&B,

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

, and

. The songs also have a

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

vibe. One writer noted the diverse musical elements of the album, writing that it contains a "hybrid sound that’s hard to categorize and easy to enjoy". Several of the songs on the album are built on laid-back

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and UK ...

samples.Brain Washed: Music in Review
Brain Washed. Retrieved on 2009-01-26. A notable influence on the music is the

West Coast jazz West Coast jazz refers to styles of jazz that developed in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a subgenre of cool jazz, which consisted of a calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music relied rela ...

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

.Philadelphia City Paper: Tommy Guerrero's Blktop Project
. Philadelphia City Paper. Retrieved on 2009-01-26. Similar to Guerrero's previous work, which has been described as "instrumental neo-funk", ''Soul Food Taqueria'' encompasses influences from stripped down

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

lounge Lounge may refer to: Architecture * Lounge, the living room of a dwelling * Lounge, a public waiting area in a hotel's lobby * Lounge, a style of commercial alcohol- bar * Airport lounge, or train lounge (e.g., AMTRAK's Acela Lounge), a premium ...

, guitar-blues,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and minimal

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

,Tommy Guerrero - Discography
. TommyGuerrero.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-28. as well as

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

.Yahoo! Music: Soul Food Taqueria
Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved on 2009-01-27. Despite Guerrero's musical background, a ''

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'' columnist noted the album's similarity to New York City's experimental music scene, citing artists such as the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

Cibo Matto Cibo Matto (, Italian for "crazy food") was an American alternative rock band formed by Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori in New York City in 1994. Initially, the band's lyrics were primarily concerned with food, before expanding into broader subject ma ...

, JSBX and

Luscious Jackson Luscious Jackson is an alternative rock/ rap-rock group formed in 1991. The band's name is a reference to former American basketball player Lucious Jackson. The original band consisted of Jill Cunniff (vocals, bass), Gabby Glaser (vocals, guit ...

.Columnist (March 31, 2003). "Review: ''Soul Food Taqueria''". ''

College Music Journal CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'': p. 9. Lily Moayeri of ''

Remix Magazine ''Remix'' was a monthly magazine for DJs, audio engineers, record producers, and performers of electronic and hip-hop music. It was started in 1999 as a quarterly magazine and was published monthly beginning in January 2001. The magazine focu ...

'' noted the similarity of the album's "low-key soul threaded through the understated funk" to the work of underground artist

Money Mark Mark Ramos Nishita (born February 10, 1960), known professionally as Money Mark, is an American producer and musician, best known for his collaborations with the Beastie Boys from 1992 until 2011. Early life Born in Detroit to a Japanese-Hawai ...

.Moayeri, Lily
Review: ''Soul Food Taqueria''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-10-25. Guerrero's guitar work for the album encompasses styles such as blues and

flamenco music Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

, and uses

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

s and four

note Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened version ...

melodies A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

, creating "nimble and colorful pieces of musical texture" when mixed in with the rest of the tracks' instrumentation. His guitar playing utilizes a minimal, acoustic and sparse sound and space blended with the live percussion of drummer Chuck Treece,

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

-heavy bass lines and keyboardist Greg Galbreath's

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s.Dix, Noel
Review: ''Soul Food Taqueria''
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

''. Retrieved on 2008-12-30. Vocals are more prevalent on the album than on Guerrero's previous recordings, with vocal tracks from rapper

Blackalicious Blackalicious was an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel. They are noted for Gift of Gab's often tongue-twisting, multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's soulful pr ...

Quannum Quannum Projects (also known as Quannum MCs) is an American hip hop collective based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been active since 1992, when it was formed at UC Davis under the moniker Solesides Records. It is also the name of the in ...

and

Latyrx Latyrx is an American alternative hip hop duo consisting of Lateef the Truthspeaker and Lyrics Born. The roots of their partnership lay in the formation of the Solesides collective at the University of California, Davis. History The crew's chart ...

fame, and long time friend and collaborator, lo-fi and

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

singer-songwriter Gresham Taylor, credited as Gresham for the album.

Songs

The minute-long intro track, entitled "Lectric Chile Goat", is a blues-based guitar instrumental performed alone by Tommy Guerrero.Columnist
Review: ''Soul Food Taqueria''
. Kevchino. Retrieved on 2009-10-25. The album opener "Abierto" (''open'' in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

) consists of low bass lines, allowing for guitar solo interplay that stylistically contrasts the bass, while bells jingle quietly with the drums. "Organism" contains predominant wah-wah guitar effects, which accompany a notable funk groove. "Thank You (MK)" is an ode to the

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and features soft, jazz instrumentation. Guerrero's guitar arrangement for the song is reminiscent of the music of Brazilian

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

musician

João Gilberto João Gilberto (born João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira – ; 10 June 1931 – 6 July 2019) was a Brazilian guitarist, singer and composer who was a pioneer of the musical genre of bossa nova in the late 1950s. Around the world, he was o ...

and American jazz saxophonist

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

, with

guitar lick The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

s similar to the playing-style of jazz guitarist

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

.McManus, Luke
Review: ''Soul Food Taqueria''

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

. Retrieved on 2009-10-25. Accompanied by delicate

harmonies In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

, "Tatanka" is a funk-infused and bass-driven track that features intricate percussion and guitar riffs, as well as unique

fret A fret is any of the thin strips of material, usually metal wire, inserted laterally at specific positions along the neck or fretboard of a stringed instrument. Frets usually extend across the full width of the neck. On some historical instrume ...

-work by Guerrero. The album contains three atmospheric

break Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning res ...

tracks, "Train of Thought", "So Many Years Ago" and "And the Day Goes By". One critic stated that the interludes "render the ambience palpable".Cordingley, Liz
Review: ''Soul Food Taqueria''
''

XLR8R ''XLR8R'' (pronounced "accelerator") is a website that covers music, culture, style, and technology. It was originally also a print magazine. History and profile ''XLR8R'' was founded as a newsprint zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Sea ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-10-25. The adumbral "It Gets Heavy" features melancholic lyrics and folk vocals by Gresham Taylor, which are similar to those of singer-songwriter John Secada. "Thin Brown Layer" has a noticeable Latin rhythm and guitar arrangement. The song also contains a predominant hypnotic beat, which, according to one music critic, "makes you feel stoned even after completing a

Twelve step program Twelve-step programs are international Mutual aid (organization theory), mutual aid programs supporting recovery from substance wikt:addiction, addictions, behavioral addictions and Compulsive behavior, compulsions. Developed in the 1930s, the f ...

". "Terra Unifirma", "Another Brother Gone" and "Broken Blood" are built around laid-back grooves and detailed guitar orchestrations. The moody "It Gets Heavy" features Guerrero and Gresham Taylor singing, and is reminiscent of trip hop artist Tricky, contributing to the album's general sound of hip-hop infected Latin soul.Midheaven Mailorder - Tommy Guerrero
Midheaven Mailorder. Retrieved on 2009-01-27. Its lyrics have been described as "socially conscious but thought-provoking". Cited by critics as the standout track on the album, Bryan Carroll described it as "the sole hip-shaker among a gaggle of moodier pieces". The bongo-driven track "Lost Unfound" has Guerrero occupying all instruments, and the album's third vocal track, "Gettin' It Together", features rapper Lyrics Born delivering a blend of emceeing and

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, which is a departure from his previous work. One music writer described the album's closing track, "Falling Awake", as "the most beautiful song Guerrero’s written to date". The song contains melancholic piano arrangements. Another critic noted "Falling Awake"s meditative sound, writing that its light guitar melodies are "slowly ascending on a journey of

Satori is a Japanese Buddhist term for awakening, "comprehension; understanding". It is derived from the Japanese verb satoru. In the Zen Buddhist tradition, ''satori'' refers to a deep experience of '' kenshō'', "seeing into one's true nature ...

Title and packaging

The album's front and back cover artwork, which depict a taquería that serves

, was designed by world-renowned graffiti artist and graphic designer Stephen J. Powers, also known as by his

moniker A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

ESPO. On September 29, 2007, the album's artwork and other similar works by Powers were displayed at

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

's Dreamland Artist Clubhouse in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

during his studio visit there.artloversnewyork.com - Steve Powers studio visit
. Nancy Smith. Retrieved on 2009-01-24. Music journalists have noted the title and artwork as reflective of the album's musical influences. A columnist for the ''

Santa Fe Reporter The ''Santa Fe Reporter'' (''SFR'') is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Santa Fe, New Mexico. First published in 1974, the ''Santa Fe Reporter'' features reports on local news, politics, art and culture, and is published once a week ...

'' later described the artwork as "totally cool, with a blocky style depicting some kind of Miami

taco stand A taco stand or taquería is a food stall, food cart or restaurant that specializes in tacos and other Mexican dishes. The food is typically prepared quickly and tends to be inexpensive. Many various ingredients may be used, and various taco s ...

."''

''; Jun 17, 2003
Article preview: J Spot; Cleaning Up the Desk
HighBeam Research, Inc. Retrieved on 2009-01-26. Music journalist Kimberley Chun of the ''

San Francisco Bay Guardian The ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'' was a free alternative newspaper published weekly in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1966 by Bruce B. Brugmann and his wife, Jean Dibble. The paper was shut down on October 14, 2014. It was relaun ...

'' wrote of the concept, stating "So what is a soul food taquería? Do you get a side of

collard greens Collard is a group of certain loose-leafed cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', the same species as many common vegetables including cabbage ( Capitata group) and broccoli ( Italica group). Collard is a member of the Viridis group of ''Brassica ...

with your menudo?" In an interview with Chun, Guerrero discussed the concept and title, stating "It's just this funny idea I had, growing up in the city – it's so diverse. The city itself is just down-home, down-to-earth, blue-collar, full of everyday kind of people. My music is along the same lines, just being simple – I just try to be honest in what I do."sfbg.com: Sonic Reducer - Give Us a Taste
SF Bay Guardian. Retrieved on 2009-01-23.

Marketing and sales

The album featured release in three different countries; the United States on April 8, 2003, and the United Kingdom on April 14 of that same year on Mo' Wax Records,Amazon.co.uk: Music - Soul Food Taqueria
Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-12-28. and Japan on April 26, 2003, through the Japanese record label Flavour of Sound Ltd.Tommy Guerrero Soul Food Taqueria CD Japan
CD Universe. Retrieved on 2008-12-28.Tommy Guerrero - Soul Food Taqueria (CD Japan)
Discogs. Retrieved on 2008-12-28. Released by Flavour of Sound, the Japanese issue of the album contains bonus material previously featured on Guerrero's ''Junk Collector'' EP (2001). ''Soul Food Taqueria'' was released on the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

as a digital download on April 28, 2003.iTunes Store: Soul Food Taqueria
Apple Inc. Retrieved on 2008-12-30. According to website sources such as

and

Billboard.com ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

, the album has not exhibited any charting in the United States since its release. ''Soul Food Taqueria'' received some airplay on the college radio station

KALX KALX (90.7 FM) is an FM radio station that broadcasts from the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California, United States. KALX, a community and student-run radio station licensed to the university, broadcasts in stereo with 500 ...

. In Canada, it peaked at number 6 on the

CKUA Radio Network The CKUA Radio Network is a Canadian donor-funded community radio network based in Edmonton, Alberta. Originally located on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton (hence the UA of the call letters), it was the first public broadcaste ...

's Best of 2003 chart.CKUA: Best of 2003 Chart
. CKUA. Retrieved on 2008-12-29. No promotional or radio singles were released from the album. "Gettin' It Together" later featured a limited edition single release in 12" vinyl format on March 22, 2004, through the Santa Cruz-based label Galaxia. The cover art for the single was designed by Stephen (ESPO) Powers, designer of the album's artwork.

Critical reception

''Soul Food Taqueria'' was well received by music critics. ''

'' editor Noel Dix observed an improvement in production and complexity of instrumentation by Guerrero from his earlier work, and stated, "This record pours so much heart and emotion into it that you’re bound to feel its warmth and splendor while it’s bumping in your walkman as you trek the city streets." Noting that ''A Little Bit of Somethin'' was criticized as a "lifeless piece of pop-trip-hop", Brian Ho of ''Dusted'' praised Guerrero's artistic growth and found "everything" to be "an improvement over its predecessor", writing that the album "is filled to the brim with body and life in a way that few albums can claim". ''

'' critic Liz Cordingley called the album a "nice case of dubby, electric guitar-driven downtempo", and called its music "dusty lo-fi soul that is seductively languid". Joe Warminsky of the ''

Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focused ...

'' praised Guerrero's minimalist approach to the album's chill-out sound, as the chill-out music genre mostly features implementation of a slicker production. He also compared the lo-fi grooves of ''Soul Food Taqueria'' to "

Shuggie Otis Johnny Shuggie Otis (born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr.; November 30, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist. Otis's composition "Strawberry Letter 23" (as recorded by The Brothers Johnson) topped ...

with Baja roots".Warminsky, Joe
Review: ''Soul Food Taqueria''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-10-25. Carmen Johnson of ''Prefix Mag'' called it a "stellar follow-up to 2000's ''A Little Bit of Somethin'''", and commended Guerrero for producing "his own organic, subterranean blend of bohemian blues, hip-hop and salsa that's creative and adventurous". Johnson called it "the perfect soundtrack for the lazy days that hearken back to the end of summer." Some reviewers were less enthusiastic. Luke McManus of

compared its songs to "those jazzy

tracks", and described the sound as "undemanding and smooth". However, McManus criticized the album's mood and wrote, "Soporific, over polite and too damn quiet, ''Soul Food Taqueira'' veers dangerously close to snooze territory." Bryan Carroll of

criticized the predominance of "mood pieces", and stated, "on the whole ''Soul Food Taqueria'' fails to stick to the ribs because it simply lacks the proper spice". Other critics cited Guerrero's simple, inventive style and sound for the album as one of its better qualities. Bill Campbell of ''Ink 19'' called the album an "exemplary album ... 100% soul". He also commended Guerrero's musicality, "he constructs heartfelt music with a complexity few can pull off successfully", as well as his guitar playing, as Campbell wrote "his guitar work is subtle and works the spaces between the beats marvelously". Canadian radio station

CKUA The CKUA Radio Network is a Canadian donor-funded community radio network based in Edmonton, Alberta. Originally located on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton (hence the UA of the call letters), it was the first public broadcaste ...

ranked the album number 93 on its Best of 2003 Chart. '' Uptown'' contributor Anthony Augustine named ''Soul Food Taqueria'' as one of the Top 10 albums of 2003. In a January 2004 issue, Ulli Pfleger of Germany's publication of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' ranked the album number two on his "best of list" of 2003.Rolling Stone: Deutsche Ausgabe - Popular Music Best-Of-Lists
. Thomas Schulze. Retrieved on 2008-12-29.

Track listing

*Co-producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from album sleeve liner notes.

Release history

References

Bibliography

External links

*
"Beyond Board"
by ''

SF Weekly ''SF Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper founded in the 1970s in San Francisco, California. It was distributed every Thursday, and was published by the San Francisco Print Media Company. The paper has won national journalism awards, ...

'' {{Authority control 2003 albums Tommy Guerrero albums Mo' Wax albums Chill-out music albums Lo-fi music albums