Caution: Mateo is a big ‘ol German Shepard that is carefree about throwing his weight around. With that in mind, the CD named for this loveable brute also is carefree – with regard to its overall presentation.

Fugitive Glue is made up of long-time Nashville players. Their backgrounds, influences, and tastes are diverse. So it is understandable that their music would be as well. Mateo is testimony to this, in that it is a CD that defies genre-classification but is well crafted and produced nonetheless.

The tracks include a fair amount of pop and alt rock, a Spanish ballad of some sort, a traditional country song, and a pseudo head-banger anthem (ala The Ramones) that is justified as the title track. Fortunately, the band can pull this off and shows no weak link in their repertoire.

In terms of bona fide, commercial-radio-friendly singles, “Hey” stands out and could easily be the theme for a wireless telephone love drama. “Monkey Man” is a funky pop tune, “She’s The One” is a bit Beatle-esque, and “High Out Here” is groovy man – all of which are ready for college radio.

“Nashville Town” is effortlessly pure country even though the band definitely is not. “Ego” has a strong danceable beat and everyone knows the key to real rock ‘n roll is the beat, the beat, the beat! “Family Kind” has a strange intro but once the music starts it’s all good. “Yoself” and “If Linda Likes It” are other honorable mentions that further reinforce the band’s creative potpourri.

It is often true that “too many chefs spoil the soup”. That is not the case here. With Mateo, as with Fugitive Glue, there are unique musical ingredients that contribute to the overall flavor of the finished product. If you want a CD that has the same “taste”, one song after another, then don’t bother with this one. If you are more inclined to appreciate a little variety, this is your kind of CD. Typical of all things FuGlu – don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.

(Anthony Bates is a guest writer for 2 Walls Webzine and Music Director for Moozikoo.com)