Just because I’m a big fan of Mike Patton, that doesn’t mean I know everything about his music or his life or his motivations. Or even the song titles on the albums he helps create.
It wasn’t until last week when I was writing about “Mescal Rite 1” that I even realized that there was a “Mescal Rite 2” that appears on the same damn album. The album is Anonymous, and, as I document every time I write about one of its songs, it was motivated by guitarist Duane Denison when he went on a tour of Native American reservations with Hank Williams III.
It’s an album dedicated to Native American music with a twist of Patton sprinkled in the mix. But not all the reviewers of this album loved Patton’s contributions. For “Mescal Rite 2,” Pop Matters wrote “Denison might want to look into the release of an instrumental version of Anonymous; compelling as it is, it falls just short of doing his vision justice.”
Personally, I don’t like “Mescal Rite 2” nearly as much as “Mescal Rite 1.” I liked the fast tempo of the first song and Patton’s emotive chanting. “Mescal Rite 2” is dreamier and just kind of meanders through your speakers for nearly six minutes, and Pop Matter comments on Patton’s “decision to turn the extended middle section … into one of his now trademarked hip-hop moments.”
The section from 4:54 to 5:11 of the video could give you chills, but it’s only a short snippet in what seems like a bloated tune. Listen, the song is fine, but given the choice between “Mescal Rite 1” and “Mescal Rite 2,” I’ll go No. 1 all day.
Previously from Anonymous:
- Mescal Rite 1 (Day 74)
- Omaha Dance (Day 31)
- Totem (Day 22)
- Sun Dance (Day 10)
To follow along on the 365 days of Patton, click here for a list of each day’s post.
Josh Katzowitz - Sports Writer/Author/Editor 