GUSTAVO CERATI - "Deja Vu"
Sony International
Album: Fuerza Natural
Rating: 6.8
(7.0) Andrew Casillas. {Yawn} Another good Gustavo Cerati song. OK, that first sentence was a joke. Sort of. I mean, it's not a slight to say that a Cerati track is good, but as a comeback single, this doesn't exactly reach a discernible peak. Regardless, the subtle U2-ness of the guitar lines and background vocals are a pleasant reminder of what makes this guy one of the most vital Latin rockers ever, and coincidentally a reminder of how bad that last U2 album was as well. No Line on the Horizon WISHES it had a song this good on it.
(6.2) Carlos Reyes. Cerati should and has all my respect as one of our times most creative individuals, it’s only fair to expect extraordinary things from him, you know like something as sublime as “Crimen.” The leading single from Fuerza Natural falls short from impressive, but of course you know those visionaries hardly deliver a bad song and “Déjà vu” is just that, a dense and washed but functional hymn that it’s so perfectly executed it becomes a misguided crowd-pleaser. It’s relatable and what not, but above all, it’s a ‘been there done that’ kind of song.
(6.0) Jean-Stephane Beriot. As opposed to most of you Soda Stereo wasn’t one of my first encounters with RockEnEspañol, as a matter of fact, I think I never had to deal with such an flawed tag. By the time I got into Latin American music Cerati was wining me over as a one-man-act extravaganza, so I’m clearly a fan of the mind and kind of an outsider of the band phenomenon. “Déjà vu” is however, a tricky and easy to dismiss good bad song.
(8.0) Juan Manuel Torreblanca. Expert songwriting. Perfect pop structure; nice buildup, clear & memorable melodies, witty (very Cerati) poetic lyrics. I’ve been a fan from S.S., which is good & bad when it comes to receiving his new stuff. It must be hard to be someone like him. We probably ask too much from him. I love the song, but it doesn’t break my heart, it doesn’t get me out of bed wanting to hear it, wanting to take a shower listening to it dancing, it doesn’t change my life. His voice is in top form, yes, beautiful phrasing & flow. The whole performance is impeccable. But, ironically, the song as a whole represents its title a little bit too well: déjà écouté.