San Francisco musician Chuck Prophet has been at it since the 1990s. Never content with standing still, he continues to embark upon new adventures and collaborations that allow him to pour into those influences.
Prophet’s new musical direction and collaboration with Cumbia Urbana group ¿Qiensave? was almost providential. He had been a fan of Cumbia music—an engaging Latin American style with Afro-Columbian roots—ever since he discovered it at San Fransisco’s Make-Out Room, where after shows, the venue would transform into Cumbia night. Since that point, he has been digging through crates, discovering new sounds, and proselytizing the genre to others.
In 2022, he had to put recording on hold to deal with a stage four lymphoma diagnosis, and during that time he found reprieve in his love for that music. “I had a lot of time to just sit and listen while I was sick,” he explained. “When I finally got to feeling better, I started driving the Ford Econoline down to Santa Cruz to surf, and then I’d cruise over to Salinas to jam with this Cumbia band called ¿Qiensave? that I’d fallen in love with.” From the outset, the circumstances seemed fortuitous.
The sessions started as something fun, but the project soon became serious when ¿Qiensave? backed him for a few live shows, and they were met with a warm reception. Wake the Dead is ultimately the result of Prophet sharing his love of Cumbia music with the world. As a mostly live-recorded album heavily featuring ¿Qiensave? with support from members of his backing band, Mission Express, the record is what one might expect from such a collaboration. It contains numerous moments where the styles blend fluidly and others that seem choppy by comparison. To the band’s credit, it’s an amalgam that works more often than not.
Prophet’s incorporation of Cumbia music feels more natural than it sounds, but unlike a group like Calexico that blends southwestern landscapes with indie rock, there is nothing organic about his Tom Petty meets Bay Area drawl now set in Salinas. For the most part, Chuck Prophet remains himself, and we get the best of both worlds. For instance, the opening single “Wake the Dead”, with its sultry percussion and accordion flourishes, keeps the vibe chill: “If they ask you any questions / go ahead and tell the truth / If we have to, we can plead insanity / If it’s good enough for you, it works for me.”
Certain tracks bring more of a Latino flair than others. “Betty’s Song” stands out with its intricate work on the bajo sexto and uniquely Cumbia percussion of the güira, conga, and timbale. It also contains darker themes, with the underlying sentiment that the singer will be there for her in times of trouble. “In the Shadows (for Elon)”, with its prominent Farfisa organ, also delivers a sense of foreboding with timely lyrics about splitting the world open to be on top and how a jilted lover now has everybody paying the price. “Give the Boy a Kiss” trots along in a pastoral torpor and even features the refrain sung by señoritas in Spanish at the end.
There is much to enjoy on Wake the Dead, including back-to-back standouts “First Came the Thunder” and “Sally Was a Cop”. The lovelorn “First Came the Thunder” finds the singer reminiscing after a few drinks, now putting himself in the other’s shoes and asking her to do the same. The song moves from the mundane to something grand by the chorus, a signature that Prophet has perfected over the years.
With this new sound, Chuck Prophet has completely revitalized his 2012 cut with Alejandro Escovedo “Sally Was a Cop”, making it more dramatic and less groovy. The “oooh” device gets bolstered until it almost mirrors Jayhawks‘ “Carry You to Safety”, while the guitar work channels early Tom Verlaine. Not only is the track dynamic from a musical standpoint, but the lyrical content remains relevant, as it touches on themes of resignation while going up against immense forces, like a corrupt system that favors drug cartels.
On Wake the Dead, Prophet remains hard to pin down, which adds to his allure. In the music video for the title track, he seems completely at home sashaying down the street with his new band, leaning on a classic car, or taking in a Latinx parade. As an artist, he is a musician more than an entertainer, which is not a knock on his live shows, which bring plenty of energy. He seems comfortable doing his own thing and does not necessarily need to stand out.
For those listeners who have enjoyed one solid solo release after the next, including an excellent run in the 2010s, Chuck Prophet with ¿Qiensave? may take some adjustment; however, it proves to be a fruitful collaboration. Even if this is a one-off record, Wake the Dead offers plenty of quality that makes it worthwhile to listen. It also supports the notion that, more often than not, the unexpected happens for a reason.