Most people probably associate the Chicano rock genre with the legendary band Los Lobos which has been giving its hits to the world for the fourth decade now. The collective’s musicians play guitars, accordion, keyboards as well as traditional Mexican instruments and their sounds and the singers’ voices (David Hidalgo, Louie Perez, Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano) can be remembered at once. The band has released a lot of albums in the time of its existence, although not all of them have been a success, and also several compilations and a collection of Walt Disney film songs covers. Among Los Lobos’ most successful creations there are 1992’s Kiko and 2006’s The Town And The City similar to it. These two records differ from the rest of the material mainly because the musicians changed their usual sounding to this or that direction on them, allowing themselves slight experimentation and each time the game proved worth the candle. Los Lobos has taken a small break after the release of The Town And The City The Town and this year the band returns with a great album Tin Can Trust which will undoubtedly join the number of its best discs.
The album Tin Can Trust offers 11 tracks two of which are performed in Spanish – Los Lobos’ basic program, all lasting a bit less than 50 minutes. These compositions protagonists are people who have found themselves in a hard situation in this or that life sphere – relationship, money, spiritual search. The album opens with a mid-tempo Burn It Down with contagious drums and emotional chorus full of despair and faith in a better future. A very atmospheric composition On Main Street is one of the album’s highlights: a volume bass line, sax, rich guitars and penetrating vocals – everything will make you want to listen to it again and again. The Mexican coloring of the rhythmic Spanish song Yo Canto makes it one of the most positive and optimistic on the album, while the title track Tin Can Trust brings in a slight blues flavor here, especially on the soulful guitar solo. Another example of amazing bass is Jupiter Or The Moon, a melodious, laid-back and penetrating track at the same time. Yet the record’s most emotional, touching, brutal and attractive moment is definitely the ballad All My Bridges Burning. Faultless vocals, a rich arrangement and a beautiful tune put it in one row with the hits Hearts Of Stone and La Bamba. The second number in Spanish Mujer Ingrata is refined with an accordion and contagious percussion, and the album closer is a mesmerizing track 27 Spanishes with the most sensual rhythm.
No doubt, having been playing for almost forty years together Los Lobos members have learned to realize the ideas of each of them because each one is talented and has his own vision of music. They always sound as a band at the same time; their songs are integral pieces in which every instrument is in its right place. The compositions on Tin Can Trust do not only please with sage lyrics but also with faultless accompaniments, with practically every other track being refined with an excellent solo. The musicians would initially combine the elements of country, R&B, folk and rock-and-roll in their creative work, and the genres’ traces have remained there until today but they are put in such proportions that have turned into a summed trademark Los Lobos style. One cannot but be surprised while listening to Tin Can Trust that these already mature men carry a very powerful energy charge throughout the entire album and sing in the same emotional and heartfelt way as they did on their earlier creations. The new album suits just perfectly well to get acquainted with Los Lobos and is absolutely sure not to disappoint the band’s fan base.
Monkey Business 2005
Monkey Business – отличное продолжение пластинки 2003 года Elephunk, записанное группой, которая не только изобрела новое направление в хип-хопе, но и довела его до совершенства. С их фирменными сумасшедшими стихами, неотразимыми танцевальными
