Customer Reviews

Good Morning Aztlán [Limited Edition]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just bought this CD. A second disc is included with two ordinary live performances of Can't Stop the Rain and Colossal Head (both songs originally on Colossal Head). Despite what the packaging says, the Enhanced CD material is on the first disc and not on the second. This includes a promotional video for the new record with interviews from each band member.

As for the 12 songs on the main disc. Let's start with the negatives first. There is a little bit of filler though a lot less than on the previous record. Neither, "Get to This" (comparable to the lesser material on "This Time") or "Maria Christina" (seems like Cesar Rosas has done this song already) are stellar.

That being said ... "Done Gone Blue", "Hearts of Stone", "Luz de Mi Vida", and "Good Morning Aztlan" are terrific and are equal to their best work. Other standouts include "Tony Y Maria" and "What in the World". Surprisingly, the Rosas written songs are on par with the Hidalgo contributions. That's not always the case. So ... taken as a whole this is a really, really good Los Lobos record.

Many will be happy to find out that this record has little of the muddiness of the three Froom and Blake produced efforts though I liked most of the material on those records. The lyrics are also a little more direct on this record.

They sound so confident on this record. The songs just slam. The recording quality is pristine and perfect. The music jumps at you and floats through the air. It's nice to hear them rock out heavy on a few tunes again, too. It's also nice to see the disc sitting in the Top-25 on Amazon. This is one of the 5 best bands of the last 15 years. Anyone who only knows them because of "La Bamba" needs to run to the store immediately and pick up "By The Light Of The Moon", "How Will The Wolf Survive", and "Kiko" for starters and realize what they have been missing. I can't wait to see these guys at Milwaukee's Summerfest in a few weeks.

Los Lobos has been a favorite of mine since they put out that great little EP "...And A Time To Dance". The mix of hard-driving roots rock and Mexican folk music was a spicy mix that was hard to resist. However, in my opinion, in recent years they have drifted too much away from those roots into experimental music since the release of the magnificent "La Pistola Y El Corazon".
Now they are back with a vengeance. Good Morning Aztlan mixes rock, soul and Spanish with wild abandon. My favorite cuts are the title song, Malaque, Maria Christina, and the soul-saturated The Word. Done Gone Blue really rocks and Luz De Me Vida is a catchy song with a clever intermixture of Spanish and English lyrics. There is nothing bad here. But perhaps as some reviewers suggest, the lyrics of Get To This are kind of cheesy though the music is good.
I haven't had a chance to sample the computerized portion of the CD but the music already merits 5 stars even without it. Hats off to Los Lobos. With the issue of Good Morning Aztlan, they are reaching deep into their past and bringing it all back together again.

Los Lobos and producer John Leckie click on this one.

Good Morning Aztlan will get compared to the masterful breakthrough Kiko. Less of a studio work than Kiko, this album seems to celebrate all that came before it, even revisits characters from previous records, yet it shows Los Lobos more mature, in the here-and-now, and in peak form.

It's raunchy, understated, the politics are personal,it's funky, soulful, bluesy. There's 50s influences, shades of War, Curtis Mayfield, Tito Puente, Traffic, Hendrix. Stax-Volt, Bob Marley. Previous avante garde and lo-fi leanings (a la Latin Playboys, Colosal Head) are played down, but show up here and there and keep things sonically interesting.

Even with all these elements, it's flows, it's tight, focused, and feels like an extremely mature effort from a group STILL in it's prime after 25 years recording and having a good time.

The songwriting is top notch, the vocals are more expressive than ever. Steve Berlin's Hammond organ adds vibe to go along with the sax and an incredible flute break on "Round and Round."

David Hidalgo is an extremely underated guitarist and all around musician. Cesar Rosas is solid and more soulful than ever.

I can't wait to hear some of these songs performed live. As good as this record is, you HAVE TO see these guys live.

Good Morning Aztlan is Los Lobos' best release since 'Kiko', if not their best EVER. The fusion of so many styles has never sounded so natural and self-assured. 'Done Gone Blue' and the title track are full throttle rockers that shows the Lobos' have not lost their drive in more than 25 years together. The dreamy 'Malaque' shows the experimental side of the 'Kiko'/Mitchell Froom albums in one of the most complex yet beautiful songs they've ever recorded.

After having his tracks hidden away on the last few albums, Cesar Rosas' presence shines brightly on 'Aztlan'. 'Maria Christina's samba influences are sizzling, but the inspired Spanglish 'Luz De Mi Vida' is the centerpiece of the album-- mournful yet a celebration of style and lingo.

Producer John Leckie brings out the best in this band of expert roots musicians. He doesn't smother them in audio effects like in their previous two albums produced by the talented but overwhelming Mitchell Froom. For a change, these guys sound like they're having fun again in the studio.

'Aztlan' takes a worthy place beside 'Kiko' and 'Will the Wolf Survive' as one of Los Lobos' best.

Whenever a new Los Lobos or solo project by one of the wolves is released it is a time to rejoice and listen to some good jams. I've been listening to this over and over for the last few months and it is like fine wine, like the band it just gets better with age. The album(I know it is a CD) is super and lies somewhere between the classic 90's releases "Kiko" and "La Pistola Y LA Corazon." As indicated by the bilingual title "Good Morning Aztlan" the muisc is reflective of the Chicano band who's folkloric roots have mixed with bluesy rock to create a unique hybrid sound . Some of the songs are in Spanish, most in English and one even in a long overdue Spanglish. The one in Spanglish entitled "Luz De Mi Vida" is excellent, a sample opening lyric reflects the duality of these home boys culture,"Cuando you and me we were chiquillos we would always run through the tall nopal." The beauty of this song is that it is how many Chicanos speak, part English, part Spanish, without rules, a pathos of the street. Working with producer John Leckie the wolf boys created this stellar disc in the comfy confines of Ceasar Rosas house which lends to the down home feeling. Each track is terrific in it's own right although I do prefer those that are in Spanish but there is something to please everyone on this disc. Songs of particular interest are "Malaque" with lots of open space for fine instrumental work. "Done Gone Blue"with it's blistering guitar work remiscent of "Will the Wolf Survive," the reflective "Hearts of Stone," the bittersweet "Tony Y Maria," a tale of broken dreams and the hard driving title track "Good Morning Aztlan." For fans of Los Lobos this disc will not dissapoint as the legacy continues to grow. The packaging is good with a bonus disc that has a brief documentary on the making of the CD for your computer. There are also two live audio tracks to give a total of 14 tracks. This is the real deal, a true American band with deep roots that continue to spread. Recomended for fans of Los Lobos and those interested in the audio postcards from Aztlan, part Mexican, part Chicano for a true American sound reflecting a vision of contemporary Aztlan.

Encore! WOW! Thank God somebody gave America's greatest roots rock band the sonic attention they deserve. Mobile Fidelity Sound Labratory is back and I for one am ecstatic about that fact. This album is quite eclectic and the sound is superb. This was a cool, hip choice for MoFi's mysterious GAIN 2 remastering process. Add it to your collection TODAY...

These guys have never really put out a bad album, but over a long career you can start picking standouts, of which I think few fans of LL will disagree, "How Will the Wolf Survive" and "Kiko" are indisputable classics. You can just listen to these albums over and over again for the rest of your homeboy lives. At the same time, those were two extremes of traditional and experimental, respectively. Now "Good Morning Aztlan" seamlessly melds the two sounds into a sort of career-encompassing whole. There are some killer rave-up tunes on this one, plus a little bit of everything else you expect from these boys. Gracias, mi amigos.

What a joyful, soulful, and rockin' set of music this is! This new cd by Los Lobos could arguably be their best overall effort, and when considering their already terrific body of work that's really saying something.
The standout feature on "Good Morning Aztlan" is the songwriting. Cesar Rosas, usually known for his standard rocking blues numbers, has perhaps his best song ever here. His superb "The Word" sounds like classic early '70s Motown soul. Put Marvin Gaye behind the mike, and it would fit right in on his classic "What's Goin' On" lp without missing a beat. David Hildalgo also gives us a serious gem here with the gorgeous "Hearts of Stone." I'm stopping here--I don't want to spoil the joy of your own discoveries--just buy the cd folks and enjoy. One last thing, Hildalgo's guitar work is just getting better and better. It totally blisses me out...

This release finds the "Lobos" rediscovering the joys of straight ahead playing and includes some "roots" music as well as their customary mix of rockers and mid-tempo soul takes. Altogether "Aztlan" is a stronger record than their previous "This Time."

Perhaps the employment of a new producer and a couple of years between releases has given the band new vigor and a fresh outlook.