This Time

Los Lobos | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 20, 1999)
• Original Release Date: July 20, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fontana Mammoth
• ASIN: B00000JMK9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,720 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

The gents in Los Lobos refuse to go gentle into the good night. This Time (like the 1999 Los Lobos spin-off projects Houndog and the Latin Playboys) is rife with an adventurous spirit that belies the lengthy recording history these guys have behind them. No one can accuse Los Lobos of slavishly trading on their "La Bamba" fame. --Steven Stolder

Amazon.com

Most bands who've soldiered on for as long as Los Lobos find that middle-age brings a laissez-faire bargain between fame and nostalgia that makes it all too easy to coast into the sunset comfortably seated on their laurels. What's so compelling about Lobos in the 1990s and beyond is their steadfast refusal to succumb to any such temptation. This Time marks the third chapter in their collaboration with producers Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake that yielded the outstanding and surprising Kiko and Colossal Head. It's easily their most adventuresome, category-confounding outing yet. Time often bravely veers into the strange, liberating ethos espoused by Blake, Froom, and Lobos mainstays David Hidalgo and Louis Perez on their deliciously skewed side-project, Latin Playboys. The title track seems to slyly segue in from nowhere, "Oh Yeah" lopes into a dreamy jazz subtly punctuated by Blake's studio percussion, and "Some Say Some Do" manages a dark new techno-twist on the blues. The gritty riffing on "Viking" and "High Places" prove that the band's love affair with Hendrix is no passing fancy. Even the Latin stylings of "Cumbia Raza," the sexy "Corazon," and the playful "La Playa" get a good studio tweaking. Those who expected Los Lobos to churn out endless permutations of "La Bamba" may be disappointed at this stereotype-resistant exploration. But those who relish true adventure and master musicianship are going to very happy indeed. Que corran para siempre --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars too good for their own good, October 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: This Time (Audio CD)

At this point, Los Lobos is so strong, so funky, so imaginative, and so sophisticated that they can't possibly have a hit record. They're just too good for an audience fed on top-40 pablum to ever figure out. But I say, just keep going and making exquisite records like this one, guys. Music's a lot more important than mass-popularity.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mesmerizing mixture of rhythm and leads, September 20, 1999

By 

Linda Callihan - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Time (Audio CD)

Having listened to Los Lobos for quite some time now, I have to say that this is as good or better than any of their efforts to date. There is much to be said for the interplay of the indivdual instruments -- always pushing the rhythyms in different directions, yet somehow blending into intriguing harmonies -- and always leaving enough space between notes to allow one to truly appreciate what is being played. Yes, it's a bit short -- but beautiful. Rather than more songs i would wish each of the songs to be a bit longer. At first I found a few of the songs to be over-mixed, but when I turned it up a bit I no longer had the same feeling -- the sonic quality of the recording is excellent. I've had trouble putting the disc away and definitely recomend buying it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Band no one listens to..., July 24, 1999

By 

Jeffrey Belcher "gigusa" (East Hartford, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Time (Audio CD)

Los Lobos have really blossomed in the 90s. The sound and ambiance of this record tells you right off that it couldn't be anyone else. These guys meld weird chord structures and unusual melodies together into music that is odd but strangely listenable. Their last two albums, "Kiko" and "Colossal Head" are still tops in my opinion, but "This Time" continues the tradition and brings them into some new territory. Titles like "Viking" and "High Places" will have people asking if this is really Los Lobos. Well, it is...and they are still quietly sitting in the background, letting the more adventurous music fans out their soak up every note...Dig these albums.