Fire Away is Ozomatli’s fifth studio album, and was released on April 20th, 2010 through Downtown Music.  Production was handled by Tony Berg (Squeeze, Wild Colonials, Phantom Planet, Phoebe Bridges, Switchfoot, Taylor Swift, Boygenius).  The band takes their name from the Nahuatl word from the astrological symbol of the monkey on the Aztec calendar.  Ozomatli is also a god of dance, fire, the new harvest and music.  They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and incorporating a wide array of musical styles – including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, and others.  This album, like the rest, shows great innovation and energy; from the brass infused dance energy of the opening cut, Are You Ready, to the perfect funk of 45, to the effects-filled psychedelic ballad Love Comes Down. Their music is full of unexpected surprises and musical detours.  

Highlights: Jack Johnson’s vocals on It’s Only Paper, the Tsalanang Cultural Group Gumboot Dancers on Are You Ready?, and the ska-punk of Malagasy Shock.  It’s all good.   

Front cover is autographed by members of the band.