Kiko

by Los Lobos

Overview

Los Lobos had earned a reputation as one of the most intelligent and creative roots rock acts in America with the albums By the Light of the Moon and The Neighborhood, but it was with 1992's Kiko that they really demonstrated the breadth of their sonic ambitions. Produced in collaboration with Mitchell Froom, Kiko exchanged the more straightforward approach of Los Lobos' previous sessions for a uniquely textured sound, with the group's guitars thrown into sharp relief against Froom's collection of vintage tape-loop keyboards, and the arrangements are often unusually spare, most powerfully in the ghostly spaciousness of "Kiko and the Lavender Moon" and "Wake Up Delores." Even the more full-bodied cuts, such as the rollicking "That Train Don't Stop Here" and the hard-rocking "Whiskey Trail," boast a different personality than in Los Lobos' previous work, with the guitars clean but cutting like a switchblade and the drums snapping hard, and the more contemplative selections drip with a mysterious, otherworldly ambience that's matched by the impressionistic imagery of David Hidalgo and Louie Perez's superb songs. At its best, Kiko sounds like the musical equivalent of a Luis Bunuel dream sequence, balancing beauty and menace with intelligence and a skill that's little short of dazzling; it's a brilliant, singular achievement, and the most rewarding album in the group's catalog. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	02/04/2014
Label:	Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
UPC:	0821797206969
Rank:	10579

Tracks

1. Dream In Blue
2. Wake Up Dolores
3. Angels with Dirty Faces
4. That Train Don't Stop Here
5. Kiko and the Lavender Moon
6. Saint Behind the Glass
7. Reva's House
8. When the Circus Comes
9. Arizona Skies
10. Short Side of Nothing
11. Two Janes
12. Wicked Rain
13. Whiskey Trail
14. Just a Man
15. Peace
16. Rio de Tenampa

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Los Lobos   Primary Artist
Pete Thomas   Guest Artist,Drums
Alex Acuna   Guest Artist,Percussion
Fermin Herrera   Harp,Veracruz
La Chilapena Brass Band   Horn
Steve Berlin   Flute,Organ,Piano,Reeds,Melodica,Harmonica,Percussion,Sax (Tenor),Synthesizer,Sax (Soprano),Sax (Baritone),Multi Instruments
Conrad Lozano   Bass,Guitar,Guitarron,Vocals (Background)
Cesar Rosas   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Louie Perez   Drums,Guitar,Vocals,Percussion,Multi Instruments
Mitchell Froom   Keyboards
Gary Mallaber   Drums
Victor Bisetti   Drums,Percussion
David Hidalgo   Banjo,Piano,Guitar,Violin,Vocals,Accordion,Percussion,Multi Instruments

Technical Credits

Paul DuGre   Engineer
Brian Hunt   Guitar Technician
Tchad Blake   Engineer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Kevin Killen   Mixing,Engineer
Cesar Rosas   Composer
Leroy Preston   Composer
Louie Perez   Composer
Los Lobos   Producer
Mitchell Froom   Producer
David Hidalgo   Composer
John Paterno   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Wendy Thompson   Assistant,Engineer
Dave Collins   Editing