Marvin Pontiac (John Lurie)
The Legendary Marvin Pontiac Greatest Hits

THE REVIEW

Marvin Pontiac was born in 1932, the son of an African father and a white mother from New York. He began playing music at a young age, although there are no records available before this compilation. His legend is known to all, and many important musicians praise him. In the '70s, he began suffering from psychiatric problems, eventually losing his mental health completely and ending up in a mental institution. He died in 1977, hit by a bus. FALSE! Marvin Pontiac never existed; he is nothing more than an alter ego behind which John Lurie (Lounge Lizards) hides, who made up everything for this album, even providing fake photos of the artist for the truly disturbing booklet. This story is one of the strengths of this fantastic album, which manages to wrap it in an incredible aura of mystery.

14 wonderful songs that are hard to categorize in any genre, teetering between African music and the blues of American metropolises. It's hard not to be swept away by the irresistible blues rhythm of "Runnin' Round", or the enveloping and mysterious atmosphere of "Rubin" or even the catchy and captivating chorus of "Little Fly". Also curious is the extravagant sound of "Power". Among others, all very beautiful and noteworthy: "Small Car", "Sleep at Night", "Bring Me Rocks", "Pancakes", and the beautiful closing track "No kids".

What else can I say: splendid album, great job John... er... Marvin!