You "Can Trust" Los Lobos

© Los Lobos

What to say about Los Lobos, a band that has consistently produced high caliber East L.A. roots rock for nearly four decades? Well, let’s start with they’ve done it again.

With the release of their 13th studio album, Los Lobos reminds us why they’ve secured a permanent spot in the oh-so-ever-changing music business and survived its ups-and-downs unscathed.

Tin Can Trust (Shout Factory) – a collection of 11 tunes clocking at just over 45 minutes – will delight both the most loyal fans and new indie listeners simply because the album is classic Los Lobos with a youthful, experimental edge.

Despite their polished mature barroom rock and roll sound, songs like “Do The Murray,” an instrumental jam session; “Jupiter On The Moon,” a slow ballad that unearths some experimental ambient blues; and “All My Bridges Burning,” an acoustic rock gem, Los Lobos takes listeners through what sounds like a new and fresh musical adventure.

David Hidalgo continues to rip out solos that lend just the right amount of grit to tunes like “On Main Street” and “Burn It Down.”

The title-track is a catchy song that sets the mood for the entire album: Mysterious, yet relaxed, with incendiary triple guitar riffs.

And it wouldn’t be Los Lobos if they didn’t offer a serving of their tested Tejano and rock and roll blend. A cumbia piece with a folkloric flare, “Yo Canto” is the perfect vehicle for the signature blues solos that has pinned Los Lobos as one of the most solid Chicano rock bands since Ritchie Valens gave us “La Bamba.”

And “Mujer Ingrata” shows off their ability to transform themselves into a sophisticated norteño-band ensemble.

The band even throws in a perfectly executed Grateful Dead cover, “West L.A. Fadeaway.” The song is all decked out with noodleling solos and all of the funk and groves that hooked so many Deadheads, but with the roots rock punch that has kept Los Lobos in the limelight for 37 years. Not too many bands can claim that.

Tin Can Trust is an elegant effort that showcases Los Lobos’ command of their craft without trying to outshine its previous albums. It reminds us that there are bands, and then there are bands like Los Lobos, which at no matter what age continue to produce music that is universal.

One thing is clear with Tin Can Trust: Los Lobos know music, all kinds, and they know it well.