A few years ago, Brighton-based Gizmo Varillas attracted attention for persuading Yoko Ono to become Yoko OYes by giving him permission to include a recording of John Lennon on ‘No War’. Another spectacular collaboration was ‘Saving Grace’, which featured the Afrobeat legend Tony Allen on drums shortly before he sadly passed away. Varillas is clearly a man who brings people together. His fourth album The World in Colour has been made with the help of even more prominent friends.
The album opens with a fanfare played by Alfredo Pino that sounds like the ‘Last Post’, except instead of summoning memories of the fallen in Flanders Fields, it introduces ‘Follow the Sun’ – a track so appropriately sun-drenched, you’ll be whisked away to an imaginary holiday realm whatever mood you’re in. On the contemplative ‘Crossroads’, Varillas proclaims “I’ll make my mistakes / They’re mine to make,” though it’s certainly no mistake to combine Nile Rodgers-like guitar with a spaghetti western middle eight.
The harp at the start of ‘Ojus Nuevos’ (‘New Eyes’) played by Amanda Whiting could be the entrance music for Henry VIII. The track is mostly a jive that the original members of Buena Vista Social Club would be proud of, then Whiting draws it to a close with more shimmering harp. “Don’t let our children pick up the pieces / The world is hungry for kindness / Hungry for hope / Hungry for love,” pleads Varillas on ‘Where Is The Love’. The chorus is melodically similar to ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley, though the whole track is thematically and sonically devoted to Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Goin’ On’, and is effectively a continuation of the aforementioned Lennon-influenced ‘No War’. ‘Still Holdin’ On’ also starts with harp (think Radiohead’s ‘Motion Picture Soundtrack’), then in comes the funk with ultra clean guitar, tabla drum, bass, and laid-back vocals. One minute Varillas bears the whole weight of the world on his shoulders and the next he shakes it off with a shimmy of carefree hips.
‘Under the Weight’ is a moody and meditative track in which Varillas pays tribute to a loved one who “makes me stronger” and convinces him to “hold on a little longer.” Perhaps if The Mamas and Papas had taken a Latin turn, they would have produced something like ‘Into the Night’, which is probably best played while driving a 1972 Buick on a balmy evening in Havana. Title track ‘The World in Colour’ is built around bright organ chords, and the yearning way in which Varillas sings “I see the world in colours” will make you consciously grateful for having photoreceptors in your retina.
Luis Fonsi‘s ‘Despacito’ has more YouTube views than there are people in the world. It’s fair to say it’s quite popular, so the inclusion of the same chord progression in the pre-chorus on ‘Desde el Otro Lado’ (‘From the Other Side’) is bound to catapult Gizmo Varillas into global fame. ‘End Of The Line’ has the wistful, ethereal aura of Mercury Rev, though naturally with a little more swing. Final track ‘Hijo del Mar’ (‘Son of the Sea’) gradually pans into our aural view and evolves into a spaghetti western gallop.
The World in Colour is an album chock full of genres, talent, heart and hope. The world might be a bin fire right now, but Gizmo Varillas reminds us to keep dancing anyway.
The World in Colour is out now on Sonteca Records
