| Song Listing |  |
(P) 2004 Mammoth Records
(C) 2004 Mammoth Records
| | With an all-star cast of contributors who highlight the band's artistic diversity and brilliant musicianship, The Ride is everything a contemporary music lover could want-and more. "We're all very proud of this CD," says band member Louie Perez, "It reflects our evolution as musicians who have been playing together for a long time and have worked to absorb a lot of different musical styles and artistic ideas during a long and enjoyable musical journey... Above all, it was great to make music with some of our good friends." The members of Los Lobos explain that the title of the CD seemed a natural way of reflecting the musical journey--the adventure--they've shared since they started 30 years ago. "It's been one heck of a ride," says singer/guitarist David Hidalgo. "And it just gets better all the time." Among those who contributed to the album were salsero legend Ruben Blades; prodigious British songwriter Elvis Costello; R&B queen Mavis Staples; pioneering British musician (and Fairport Convention founder) Richard Thompson; soul legend Bobby Womack; the inimitable Tom Waits; popular Mexico City rock band Cafe Tacuba; one-time Blaster Dave Alvin and East L.A. cultural icon Little Willie G, lead singer for the '60s Chicano rock band Thee Midnighters. The latter kicked open the doors of the music industry for many Mexican-American rockers, including the guys who would eventually form Los Lobos. With a mixture of old favorites reworked with guest artists and new creations, The Ride highlights the grasp the Lobos have of all sorts of music and the pleasure they still get out of playing, 30 years later, and still looking to grow.
"...a house band this glorious deserves some kind of standing ovation." Blender
"Amazing collaborations that emphasize the veteran band's rich Latin and blues roots." E! Online
"The collaborative approach yields some of the most potent music of the group's career." Entertainment Weekly
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: Los Lobos, Cafe Tacuba, Little Willie G, Dave Alvin, Bobby Womack, Tom Waits, Martha Gonzales, Ruben Blades, Richard Thompson, Mavis Staples, Lonnie Jordan, Elvis Costello, Garth Hudson. | | This is a Hyper CD, which contains regular audio tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser. | | Los Lobos: Conrad Lozano, David Hidalgo, Louie P?rez, Steve Berlin, Cesar Rosas. | | Additional personnel: Dave Alvin, Little Willie G., Martha Gonzales, Mavis Staples, Richard Thompson, Rub?n Blades, Elvis Costello (vocals); Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar); Tom Waits, Caf? Tacuba. | | Not counting compilations and live recordings, The Ride is the 11th album by East Los Angelinos Los Lobos. And in contrast to the rest of their hefty catalog, it stands as a wonderful anomaly on their shelf. First, it is an offering with loads of guests, from influences such as Richard Thompson, Garth Hudson, the Grateful Dead's famed lyricist Robert Hunter, R&B legend Bobby Womack, Latin garage-funk hero Little Willie G., gospel great Mavis Staples, and Tom Waits to contemporaries like Elvis Costello, Dave Alvin, Greg Leisz, Mitchell Froom, Martha Gonzales, Latin music statesman Rub?n Blades, and rock en Espa¤ol inventors Caf? Tacuba, and many more. These 13 tracks walk the razored edge between the band's wondrous amalgam of rock, blues, country, soul, and Latin folk and pop styles found on How Will the Wolf Survive? and The Neighborhood to the song fragmentation and studio experimentation that made records like Kiko and Colossal Head standouts. To this end, Los Lobos redo some of their nuggets There's a wonderfully gospelized read of "Matter of Time," with Costello, that adds a completely new meaning to the tune. Little Willie G.'s vocal on "Is This All There Is" digs deep into the tune for its gritty funk root and stretches it to the breaking point -- it's one of the strongest performances on the disc. But the medley of "Wicked Rain" from Kiko with Womack's "Across 110th Street," with the band in full stretch-out mode and Womack at the peak of his soul crooning powers, is the biggest surprise. Over eight minutes in length, the combination of the tunes is smooth and sweet, driven with acoustic guitars, a punched-up horn section, and Rev. Charles Williams' shimmering Rhodes and B-3 in the mix. But the new material, such as "Veganza de los Pelados," with Mexico City's Caf? Tacuba, is the meld of the two bands' quirky strengths. Los Lobos bring the mystic Latin groove and bluesy angularity of the guitar lines, while the Tacubas bring the big knotty beats and edgy power chords, stunning dynamics, and a sense of play. Likewise, "Ya Se Va," with Blades, is a perfect cocktail of Afro-Cuban son and mariachi. "Wreck of the Carlos Rey," with Thompson, pairs David Hidalgo with the British guitarist in a snaky moaning weave of Anglo folk and driving, minor-key bluesy rock. The meeting of the band and Staples on "Someday," with Williams on clavinet and Lonnie Jordan on B-3, is so fine and fluid that an entire album should be considered. Ultimately, with the possible exception of "Kitate," with Waits and Gonzales, which feels overindulgent and directionless, this record comes off like a dream, full of strength, vision, warmth, rhythms, textures, and a coming together of all of Los Lobos' various adventures in a solid coat of many colors. This is the culmination of 30 years, and as such, it is an album that pays tribute as well as points to the next, and walks the narrow path between playful adventurousness and tuneful accessibility with ragged elegance and swaggering confidence. ~ Thom Jurek | | More than two decades into their recording career (discounting their private-press 1970s debut album), Los Lobos still kick up an earthy mix of rock, funk, blues, and pan-Latin rhythms. Generally, few bands are more self-contained than this L.A. quintet, with its multi-instrumentalists and three powerful songwriters, but, for THE RIDE, the door to the outside world has opened up. More than half the songs here are collaborations with artists who've gained Los Lobos' respect--their heroes, peers, and disciples. | | Dave Alvin, a contemporary of the band on the L.A. scene as guitarist for the Blasters, joins in on the Tex-Mex-flavored "Somewhere in Time." Cafe Tacuba, an eclectic Rock en Espanol band that probably picked up a few tricks from the Wolves, adds to the churning polyrhythms of "La Venganza de Los Pelados." R&B legend Bobby Womack brings his soulful wail to a medley of "Wicked Rain" (first recorded on KIKO) and his own '70s classic "Across 110th Street." Even as Los Lobos move into the future, THE RIDE places a pleasing sonic framework around their musical neighborhood's present and past. |
Producer: Los Lobos |
Engineer: Robert Carranza |
Musical Guests | | Dave Alvin | | Mavis Staples | | Elvis Costello | | Ruben Blades | | Richard Thompson | | Cafe Tacvba | | Mitchell Froom | | Little Wille G | | Bobby Womack | | Martha Gonzales | | Tom Waits | | Garth Hudson | | Lonnie Jordan |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Associated Artists and Works |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 05/04/2004 | | Original Release Date : 2004 | | Catalog ID : 162 443 | | Label : Hollywood Records | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00720616244321 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Q (p.115)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "It's all linked by a sense of dignity, wisely chosen collaborators and David Hidalgo's voice which, on its own or with others, still encompasses the hopes and fears of a whole community."Down Beat (p.80)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "[T]he group's instrumental expertise, matched with a genuine flair for assimilating and reinterpreting the sounds of their youth, has enable Los Lobos to ride the tide of fashion with elan." Mojo (Publisher)
(p.102)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "Los Lobos challenge the status quo with a roaring, R&B-flavoured album whose eight cameo vocal spots make this boisterous party complete." Los Angeles Times 8 of 10
Such guests hardly bring commercial cachet. What they add is a depth and dynamism that transcend gen
Rolling Stone 8 of 10
The Ride doesn't rank with the classic Los Lobos of How Will the Wolf Survive? or the experimental K
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