Guero is the ninth album by American musician Beck, released on March 29, 2005, by Interscope Records. It is seen by many as a return to the style of Odelay, mainly due to it being produced with the Dust Brothers and Tony Hoffer. It also recalls Mutations in places with its Brazilian influences. The album was promoted with the singles "E-Pro", "Girl", and "Hell Yes", and debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200. To date, it is Beck's highest-charting album and has sold over 868,000 copies in the United States as of July 2008. It has received positive reviews from critics.
Background
An unmixed and un-mastered version of Guero was leaked in January 2005, under the title Ubiquitous. The track listing differed slightly from the officially announced track listing of Guero. The album was released simultaneously in three formats: a standard 13-track CD with none of the bonus tracks or remixes, PlayStation PortableUMD, and a DVD/CD combo pack. The CD included all the below listed tracks while the DVD featured a 5.1 surround sound mix of the 13 album tracks along with abstract, multi-angle videos by visual artistsD-Fuse as well as other videos and special features. The track "E-Pro" was remixed by Paza Rahm and released on the Hell Yes EP as "Bad Cartridge". The EP was released on vinyl, as an iTunes Store download, and in CD format for college radio. "E-Pro" was Beck's first number 1 since his debut single "Loser". Jack White of The White Stripes plays bass on "Go It Alone". Money Mark, solo artist and keyboardist for the Beastie Boys, plays the organ on "Earthquake Weather". Petra Haden, formerly of That Dog and The Rentals, provides an intricate backing vocal track for "Rental Car". Christina Ricci provides the cameo voice in "Hell Yes". Güero is a Mexicanslang term in Spanish for a pale-skinned or blonde-haired person. Beck cites having been referred to as a "güero" throughout his childhood, lending the title of the album and the track "Qué Onda Guero". Beck released an album of Guero remixes called Guerolito later in 2005. The song "Black Tambourine" was featured in the David Lynch film Inland Empire, the trailer for the film Days of Summer, and episode 22 of season 4 of The Good Wife, as well as the 2006 video game Lumines II, and the video game . The song "Farewell Ride" was featured in FX trailers promoting the final season of The Shield. The song "Broken Drum" is dedicated to Elliott Smith.
Guero received generally positive reviews from critics, holding a Metascore of 78 on Metacritic. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
