Los Lobos

David Hidalgo of Los Lobos is the latest chronicler of the American jitters. The seven songs
Hidalgo co-wrote for By the Light of the Moon form the topical core of the LP and stand as
poignant, impressionistic portraits of economically hard-hit working-class people whose
chronic emotional state is uncomprehending resignation. They wonder why America's
great promise has delivered so little to them, how they ended up struggling and... More >

These guys are a world-class band. If they want to go Motown, who wouldn't? If they want to downplay the accordion, they have the guitars to compensate. But if they think pop means compassionate generalizations after the manner of John Cougar Mellencamp, they're selling themselves short. Though they're less confused for sure, with a gift for snapshot images that suggest the dimensions of suffering in this trouble land of ours, only on "The Hardest Time" do they drive that suffering all the way home. Leaving us with world-class jukebox grooves and vocals and some affecting protest songs. (Grade: A-)