Critic Ben Warner calls “The Town and the City” one of the band’s best!

MASTERPIECE: Los Lobos’ new album, “The Town and the City,” ranks
among the band’s best.

HOLLYWOOD RECORDS

Friday, September 15, 2006
Sound Check: A slew of new notables sound check
By BEN WENER
The Orange County Register

Record-biz bigwigs may not have touted it as such, but where I shop,
the day after 9/11 was a release-heavy Super Tuesday if there ever
was one. All this plus the return of Justin Timberlake, Bob Seger and
Shawn Colvin? No wonder I haven’t even cracked open the new Yo La
Tengo opus yet.

•Los Lobos, “The Town and the City” (Hollywood) – Now that this
subdued little wonder has arrived, that string of dates late last
year during which these never-say-die Wolves played “Kiko” (their
greatest achievement) in its entirety makes a lot more sense. Clearly
that was indicative of their mind-set lately, for finally, 14 years
later, they’ve managed something of a sequel to it.

True, the band is now known for fusing austere atmosphere with
detailed stories of Mexican-American life amid an array of musical
styles, from roots-rock to cumbia. But since “Kiko” such experiments
have typically been tossed into a more straightforward mix.

On this self-produced (but clearly Tchad Blake-assisted) effort,
however, the captivatingly murky mood is expertly sustained. It
enhances both David Hidalgo’s soothing voice and searing solos and
adds impressionistic shading to the overall concept: a vivid,
ambitious, deliberately ambiguous examination of immigration.

From the promise of “The Valley” to the labor pains of “Hold On,”
from the identity-losing lament of “Little Things” to the crushing
reality of “The Town,” in which the protagonist realizes he’s perhaps
no better off for having made the journey, every song cuts deep, even
the celebratory ones. Every answer only raises more questions. One of
Los Lobos’ all-time best. (The band plays Oct. 13 at Disney Hall.)
Grade: A