ACTIONFOLK SINGER

Bakersfield Californian, December 12, 2003
"Hero of the People"
Action Folk Singer
Bakersfieldian Enrique Acosta is the "Action Folk Singer."
His latest album, live and direct from the Hallenbecks Cafe in North Hollywood, the Action Folk Singer has enough angst for everyone.
And them some for leftovers.
Armed with naught but a guitar, killer wit and a beer aficionado's paunch, Acosta sets out to open eyes to the blinding white light of truth about love, life and the sorry state of Spanish classes in public schools.
Speaking of which, "El Pato Miguel" is a song that anyone who's ever taken at least one year of Español and managed to stay awake can understand. It includes Spanish 101 staples like "¿Dondé està los banos?" (Where are the bathrooms?).
Acosta throws everything and the kitchen sink and a few other things on the CD. It has over 26 tracks, including an outstanding rendition of songwriter Andrew Lorand's ode to, um, Bakersfield, "My Camaro, My Handgun and A Beer."
But the best song on the CD is "Just Another Weeknight Open Mic at the Coffee House," in which he develops about a half-dozen different personalities to demonstrate all the stereotypical coffee house acts, like the angsty rock chick, the overly earnest singer and the Dylan-esque protester.
Overall the album is both funny and thoughtful, and Acosta actually has a pretty decent voice of varying quality, which only adds to the humor/thoughtfulness aspect. But folk singing is more about lyrics and style rather than technical greatness.
Technique is for suckers. Acosta has a ditty called "The Ballad of the Lesbian Cow." That speaks enough for itself.
-- Complied by Danielle C. Belton, Californian entertainment writer, dbelton@bakersfield.com

Copyright, 2003, The Bakersfield Californian
- the Californian