Album review: Billy Gibbons reconnects with his mentor’s signature Latin sounds in Perfectamundo

Perfectamundo by Billy Gibbons and the BFG’s. Concord Records via AP

Perfectamundo

Billy Gibbons & The BFG’s

(Concord Records)

Three stars

Billy Gibbons’ first solo album after more than 45 years with ZZ Top is a detour into Cuban and Latin rhythms. His recognisable array of hot and nasty guitar tones has made way for plenty of Hammond B-3 organ and dance- inducing timbales, congas and bongos.

Gibbons, who studied Latin percussion as a youngster with Tito “King of the Mambo” Puente, has reconnected with his mentor’s signature sounds.

Perfectamundo sounds mostly like Gibbons having a great time away from his other job. Sal y Pimiento cooks, Piedras Negras rocks with a Keith Richards-like acoustic guitar intro, and on Hombre Sin Nombre, Gibbons bathes his voice in more special effects than Cher.

It all ends on a high note with the nearly instrumental Q-Vo, which both swings and shakes.

While the lyrics – mostly half-hearted effort at Spanglish in Gibbons' usual guttural resonance – live down to expectations, an annoying trio of raps invariably devalue every tune they touch, including the title track and Quiero Mas Dinero, which could otherwise fit snugly in the ZZ Top repertoire next to their similarly themed I Gotsta Get Paid.