Welcome to sunny Arizona. FYI there is an active Master Gardener program here in Maricopa County if you're interested. cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden

For plant choices you might try:
Orange Bells - Tecoma stans hybrid
Hopbush - Dodonaea viscosa
Mexican Bird of Paradise - Caesalpinia mexicana
and of course the old standby - Oleander

Here's a link to a searchable plant database with photos and descriptions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Landscape Plants On Line

Here's a few more:

'Spartan' Juniper, 'Gray Gleam' Juniper, Cocculus, Xylosma, 'Seville' Orange, Mulga, 'Pride of Houston' Yaupon, or Mastic Tree.

: )

I have some Japanese Privots along my back wall that are great as a barrier. They grow quickly and do just fine in full sun. Those shrubs that you mentioned are alittle sparse to use as a "noise reducer", save perhaps for the Oleanders. Not sure I would want those growing in my yard though, unless they were the petites or dwarf varieties.

I vote with phxplantaddict, BAMBOO

Orange Bells - Tecoma stans hybrid (frost tender, deciduous)
Hopbush - Dodonaea viscosa (evergreen)
Texas Olive (Cordia boissera)

Mexican Bird doesn't get tall enough to be useful.

A mixed border of Orange Bells and Hopbush with a couple of small trees (Palo Blanco, Desert Willow, Texas olive, maybe the white-flowered Mexican species of Bauhinia) would look less like a desperation hedge and more like landscaping.

If you plant them as 1 and 5-gallon plants and water them deeply and liberally the first couple of years, they will grow quite tall quickly. then you can taper off and they will slow down and be less greedy.

@trevorspop68

I'm interested in the Japanese Privots in Arizona. Can you comment on how yours are doing? How tall are they? Pros and cons?