NEWS / Oct 17, 2006

Critic Darryl Morden Reviews October 13th Show

Los Lobos in extraordinary L.A. homecoming

By Darryl Morden

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Most bands would push a new album early in a show. But Los Lobos has never been an ordinary band. The group didn’t even get to the material from its new release “The Town and the City” (Mammoth/Hollywood) until the latter half of Friday’s richly rewarding performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

The show celebrated nearly three decades of remarkably diverse recordings and a Mexican-American heritage encompassing myriad musical styles from both sides of the border. The music was festive and reflective, enchanting and boisterous.

A series of acoustic songs in Spanish led off by their own “La Pistola y el Corazon” displayed the band’s traditional side. For the most part, the group put aside the full-jam mode that fires up appearances at outdoor venues and festivals, and instead played as artisans engaged in often-delicate craftsmanship imbued with heart and soul.

David Hidalgo still amazes as a multi-instrumentalist, easily moving from violin to accordion, then unleashing emotion-soaked electric guitar leads. His plaintive tenor rang out in the marvelous acoustics of the venue for the country-rock American fable of “One Time One Night” and was filled with weary melancholy in “When the Circus Comes.”

Singer-guitarist Cesar Rosas was de facto master of ceremonies for much of the night, quipping several times about the date, Friday the 13th — especially when the band encountered a few sonic troubles. His weathered growl turned gentle and caressing for “Sabor a Mi” and cut loose for the John Lee Hooker-inspired boogie “Don’t Worry Baby.”

Other band members took their turns on lead vocals as well: Louie Perez shone on the lovely, dreamlike and harp-stroked “Saint Behind the Glass,” and bassist Conrad Lozano turned in a joyous “Guantanamera.”

With a long, thin, graying beard plus hat and shades, Steve Berlin looked like a bohemian Hasidic as he added subtle keyboards and punctuating sax and flute. Steady drums and percussion came from Cougar Estrada, though Perez took over his former seat at one point to summon the spirit of old times.

When finally addressing the new album, the group focused on some of the most blues-steeped songs, including the brooding “Hold On,” with its quiet desperation set to a heartbeat tempo. The band soared on the arid folk-rock of “The Road to Gila Bend,” inspired by the Arizona hometown of Hidalgo’s mother.

Several guest musicians added to the special evening, including pedal steel wizard Greg Leisz, who took the two-step “Our Last Night” right into the honky-tonk, and a pair of violinists who joined Hidalgo on fiddle for the lullaby prayer of “Be Still.”

A lively encore was capped by the bump and groove of “Cumbia Raza,” with irresistible rhythms that brought the audience to its feet. A folkloric band, blues band, dance band and so much more — that’s Los Lobos.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter