I would put Los Lobos’ last two decades of recorded work up against anyone’s. That not nearly enough people seem to be aware of just how truly phenomenal this veteran quintet from East L.A. is, or how they refuse to just phone it in and half-ass gig around, or how the public at large still seems to know them (if they know them at all) as the band that spun off the fluke hit “La Bamba” way back in 1987 — well, all of that’s just a damn shame.
But it is what it is. Los Lobos keeps plugging along, releasing fine albums (on a new label each time out, it seems) that deftly blend blues/R&B-infused rock with music from their Chicano heritage and just the right measure of avant-garde sensibility. Tin Can Trust (Shout Factory!) is another thoroughly worthy installment. The sessions took place within the members’ stomping grounds of East L.A. in a “no-frills” space called Manny’s Estudio, all the members playing together in the same room. The sonic outcome is kinetic and organic, infused with a natural-sounding echo and a slight rattle to the drums. Not lo-fi, just real.
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2010.