Beck's first two major label releases, Mellow Gold and Odelay, although very different from each other, existed in the same vein musically in that they established the artist's reputation for producing albums of a schizophrenic nature.

Both discs featured hip hop, folk and alternative rock songs, as well as tunes that blended the genres, but somehow fused together for two complete, cohesive albums.

Beck, determined not to make Odelay Part 2, released three albums; 1998's experimentally eerie Mutations, 1999's disco-funky Midnight Vultures and 2002's downright depressing Sea Change.

These three albums couldn't be more different from each other; however, one thing the albums did have in common is that each one had a specific musical focus. He took three different kinds of songs that compiled the random nature of his first two commercial albums and expanded them into entire, like-minded albums -- however, a focused Beck album is kind of like an unfocused album from, well, any other artist.

Beck's strength is his variety, which he displays throughout Guero, his eighth album and return to the classic "what will he do next?" crazy, mixed genre sound that he invented in the mid-'90s.

Guero is no Odelay rip-off, and to say this album is a more mature effort would be absurd considering his last album, Sea Change, was the closest to grown-up the artist has sounded to date; however, the tracks themselves are much more technical and complex than Odelay.

The album's first track, "E-Pro," is one of the most rocking songs on this or any other Beck release, and an all-around fun song with its "Na Na, Na Na Na Na Na Na" chorus.

Beck rap-sings lyrics in English and Spanish through the hip hop-influenced "Que Onda Guero," a track kind of reminiscent of, but not a rip-off of, his 1996 hit "Where It's At."

"Hell Yes," another hip hop-inspired tune, sounds like something you could very well hear at a dance club on the weekend, without sacrificing integrity for conformity. Along with the song's oddball lyrics ("Fake prizes rising out of the bomb holes / Skeleton boys hyped up in purple?"), the song features weird samples and a harmonica solo along with its catchy chorus and danceable beat.

Songs such as new-wave acoustic rocker "Girl" and the retro rocker "Rental Car," which feature some great Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys harmonies and great guitar work, compliment the hip hop-oriented tracks well, as to not weigh down Guero with too much of one genre.

Beck couldn't have timed Guero's release any better because although the album is unable to be described as part of a single genre, it has a definite summertime vibe.

As the season rapidly approaches and the weather begins to warm, Guero would be the perfect album to blast through your car speakers with the windows down.