1 - “The Neighborhood”
Hands-down, my favorite. And truthfully my first Los Lobos disc. Back in the 1990 when “Rolling Stone” used to write about music, I kept reading about this album. On a whim, I bought it and quickly hated it. This wasn’t the “La Bamba” band; what was it? I left it in my CD player and kept hitting play, letting it run in the background. After multiple extended listens, it leaked into my brain and my affection for it has grown over the years. “Down on the Riverbed” and the “The Neighborhood” are perfect bookends to this collection, holding massively fun boogie-woogie songs like “Deep Dark Hole,” “Jenny’s Got a Pony,” and “Georgia Slop.” But it also has personal, emotional songs like “Little John of God” and “Emily.” The Wolves were certainly reaching out here and in my mind was hugely successful.
2 - “Kiko”
Opening with “Dream in Blue” you know you’re in for something special. The ethereal dreamlike tone is set. I don’t know if it’s Mitchell Froom’s production or the brilliant song craft, but this stuff is meant for headphones! “Kiko and the Lavender Moon”? Come on! Hypnotic. “That Train Don’t Stop Here”? Blues heaven. And my favorite track is a Cesar Rosas song, “Wicked Rain.” This could be my favorite Los Lobos song, EVER. I would have loved to seen them live when they used to perform this album from beginning to end, in it’s entirety. Great stuff!
3 - “The Ride” and “Ride This”
This is a bit of a cheat since this is technically 2 discs. But the band released the “Ride This” EP shortly after “The Ride” as a companion, so I think of it as one collection. The songs are full of guest vocalists, one of which is Bobby Womack. I love this version of “Wicked Rain / Across 110th Street”, mixing old and new and making me want to dance every time I hear it. I still don’t know what is going on it “Kitate” with Tom Waits, but holy cow that’s terrific. Elvis Costello is great here as is Café Tacuba. But not to be overshadowed is Los Lobos brilliant singer--song writer David Hidalgo with the deep blues “Chains of Love.”
Over on the “Ride This” disc, I can’t get enough of the band’s cover of Ruben Blades’ “Patria”. Man, it sounds fresh and brand new and completely different than the original. Now THAT’S the way to do a cover, bring something new to the table. Love it!
4 - “Good Morning Aztlán”
From the first chords of “Done Gone Blue”, I can’t help but think of the CD’s cover art. It’s as if the song is shouting, “WAKE UP AND PAY ATTENTION!” And the wake-up call continues with the barn-burner title cut “Good Morning Aztlán”. While I prefer Cesar’s blues voice, David’s voice on this track is muscular yet sweet. Not sure how that guy does it. “The Word” reminds me of Marvin Gaye and again I want to dance during another number, “Get To This”. But the album has it’s softer moments with “Luz de Mi Vida” and the ending drone of “Round & Round” (The later penetrates my cerebral cortex! That’s a good thing!). The package comes with a 2nd disc and includes a documentary on the making of the disc. Fascinating.
5 - “La Pistola y El Corazón”
Full disclosure: I don’t speak Spanish. But there is NOTHING lost in translation on this Spanish language traditional disc. The guys wanted to make a record their parents would be proud of and they came out with these standards. I’m a sucker for the drinking song “Estoy Sentado Aquí”. Cesar can bring out the tears in his voice! “La Guacamaya” and “Las Amarillas” are lively and “Si Yo Quisiera” makes me want to swivel my hips on the dance floor (do you see a pattern here?). The last cut and title track is nothing short of a classic. The folks would be proud.
Check out this live version of “Mas y Mas” from the “Colossal Head” album (the intro by Bill Murray is ridiculous). It’s ear-pinning great guitar playing. Rock on, boys! Hope to see you for another 20 plus years!
