ALBUM REVIEW: Through the Eyes of the ‘Spanish Villager,’ Ondara Demands That We See Ourselves

It’s like walking into a kitchen when something’s cooking. Delicious smells envelop us, but a few minutes later we stop noticing the aromas until someone new walks in and says, “Wow, that smells great.” We are so immersed in our own realities that we can’t pick up on what’s right in front of us — until someone like Ondara comes along and compels us to look at the world with fresh eyes.  And as the 11 new songs on Spanish Villager No. 3, Ondara’s ambitious third album, so eloquently point out, the view isn’t always pretty, and the problems we’ve created and don’t even notice anymore are not an easy fix.

Ondara as the Spanish Villager (photo by Nate Ryan)

Like so many immigrants before him, J.S. Ondara came to America with stars in his eyes. Fueled by idealism ignited by the Bob Dylan albums he devoured as a teenager in his native Kenya, Ondara dreamed of a better life and moved to Minneapolis in 2013. His early disillusionment with the distance between the promise and the reality of American life was brilliantly evoked in his first two albums, Tales of America (ND review) and Folk N’ Roll, Vol 1: Tales of Isolation, which chronicled his struggle with living far from home during the pandemic.

With his new album, Ondara takes a slight step back from the intensity of his individual perspective and channels his observations through the character of The Spanish Villager, an alien who perceives and grapples with modern life with the kind of fresh insight that Ondara himself can no longer muster. His most ambitious project yet, Spanish Villager No. 3 is a ’70s-style concept album that traces his character’s odyssey through 11 cities — from Paris, Tokyo, and Mexico City to Berlin and back — where he encounters the broken dreams and wasted potentials of modern life.

To say that the songs on Spanish Villager No. 3 are a revelation is to understate their power. Invoking discarded television sets, ’70s records that no one ever plays because everything’s online, cancel culture, witches, and fingers pointed in blame, songs like “Prophet of Doom” and “An Alien in Minneapolis” highlight the failures of modern life with more accuracy than we are perhaps comfortable with. As an evocation of the times we live in, Spanish Villager No. 3 exists alongside What’s Going On, Sandinista, and The Times They Are a-Changin’ as being among the most passionate topical records ever recorded.

Ranging from a whisper to roar, soaring through lyrics that few would have the courage to sing, Ondara’s voice is a beautiful and powerfully evocative instrument.

The only criticism that could be leveled against an otherwise nearly flawless collection of songs is that the music accompanying the singer’s voice and lyrics sometimes sounds generic and inconsequential. Ondara’s producer, Mike Viola, opted for a powerful late ’80s/early ’90s, very drums-forward sound that evokes Phil Collins, David Gray, and Joshua Tree-era U2, and it’s not always a comfortable fit with what Ondara’s singing about.

This small grumble aside and taken as a whole, Spanish Villager No. 3 is a hugely ambitious work that represents a significant leap forward for Ondara as a singer and songwriter. Drifting between hope and despair, the songs are contemporary canaries in the coalmine. They should be listened to.

Ondara’s Spanish Villager No. 3 is out Sept. 16 on Verve Forecast.