Native Sons

by Los Lobos

Overview

Los Lobos named their debut album Just Another Band from East L.A. back in 1978, when they were still primarily playing acoustic music. While the title was meant to be tongue in cheek, their hometown is clearly a major part of who they are and what they do. It's hard to imagine another city giving them the fertile ground to create their trademark fusion of rock, blues, folk, Latin, R&B, and Tex-Mex that manages to be more than the sum of that remarkable list of parts. Los Lobos pay tribute to the Los Angeles musical community and the songs that inspired them on 2021's Native Sons, which features a dozen songs originally written and recorded by artists from L.A., along with one new original. The covers album is often a risky proposition, as it suggests the artists may have run out of fresh ideas of their own, but if Los Lobos didn't write most of the songs here, they make them their own with the imagination, spirit, and commitment of their performances, not to mention their impressive chops and the incredible feel that comes from more than four decades of working together. They open the set with "Love Special Delivery," a classic side from the East L.A. R&B act Thee Midniters, who fittingly were stars in California without breaking big anywhere else, and while it's mostly faithful to the original, the band tears into it with the fervor of true fans. They show a special joy in putting their stamp on material from hometown heroes like Lalo Guerrero y Sus Cincos Lobos ("Los Chucos Suaves"), Willie Bobo ("Dichoso"), Don & Dewey ("Farmer John"), and the Jaguars ("Where Lovers Go"), though they can also tackle Buffalo Springfield (their arrangement of "For What It's Worth" expands greatly on the menace of the original), the Beach Boys (a emphatic performance of "Sail On, Sailor") and War (a jazzy exploration of "The World Is a Ghetto" with guest vocals from Little Willie G. and Barrence Whitfield) with an individual style. And the impassioned plea of the title cut sounds just like one of the dusties that inspired them in the first place while also feeling fresh and totally like them. Native Sons is a tribute that manages to be more than a set of covers -- it shows what the group learned from these songs, as well as showing us where their long musical journey has taken them. It's essential listening from one of America's greatest bands. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	07/30/2021
Label:	New West
UPC:	0607396551415

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Los Lobos   Primary Artist
Little Willie G.   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Steve Berlin   MIDI Sax,Keyboards,Saxophone
Conrad Lozano   Bass,Vocals
Barrence Whitfield   Vocals (Background)
Cesar Rosas   Bass,Organ,Guitar,Vocals
Louie Perez   Vocals
Phil Parlapiano   Keyboards
Aaron Ballesteros   Drums
Dannie Ramirez, Jr.   Trombone
David Hidalgo Jr.   Drums
Jason Lozano   Drums
Camilo Quinones   Percussion
Enrique Gonzalez   Vocals (Background)
David Hidalgo   Vocals

Technical Credits

Lonnie Jordan   Composer
Van Dyke Parks   Composer
Stephen Stills   Composer
Jackson Browne   Composer
Tandyn Almer   Composer
Don Harris   Composer
Charles Miller   Composer
Dewey Terry   Composer
Lee Oskar   Composer
Louie Perez   Composer,Art Direction
Howard Scott   Composer
Percy Mayfield   Composer
Nick Jimenez   Composer
Los Lobos   Producer
Kevin Morris   Management
James Espinoza   Composer
Don Malone   Composer
Rick Deputy   Crew
Al Quattrocchi   Art Direction
Don Juan Mancha   Composer
Jeff Smith   Art Direction
Vincent Hidalgo   Crew
Jack Rieley   Composer
Ruairi O'Flaherty   Mastering
Chris Sorem   Mixing,Engineer
Ray Kennedy   Composer
Mario Paniagua   Composer
Terri F. Baker   Legal Advisor
Piero F. Giunti   Photography
Mando Tavares   Crew,Production Coordination
Jason Lozano   Crew
Grant Hier   Liner Notes
Myles Jacob   Crew
Brian Heisler   Management
Edgar Cobain   Crew
Harold Brown   Composer
Brian Wilson   Composer
Dave Alvin   Composer
William Garcia   Composer
Papa Dee Allen   Composer
B.B. Dickerson   Composer
Lalo Guerrero   Composer
David Hidalgo   Composer