#455 – Los Lobos, ‘How Will the Wolf Survive’

How Will the Wolf Survive? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Released: 1984
Label: Slash, Warner Bros.
Genre: Chicano rock, R&B, blues rock, heartland rock
Producer: T Bone Burnett

I thought this was going to be another latin-Mexican-confused infused album along the lines of Manu Chao’s back at #474, but this was a lot better, and a nice surprise. Sitting somewhere between country and rock and rockabilly, with obvious latin influences, this is a pleasant, simple record. Too constantly upbeat for me to take seriously (need that light and shade…), but still, this was nice enough.

#474 – Manu Chao, ‘Próxima Estación: Esperanza’

Próxima Estación: Esperanza (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Released: June 5, 2001
Label: Virgin Records
Genre: Latin, reggae

So it’s not as though this is totally unlistenable, but… I’m glad I have the CD for the next latin-themed party I have (and it would be excellent latin-party music!), and if I need some energy for cleaning the house I’ll be sure to whack this into the CD player. For an English-speaking Australian, this was a step-too-inaccessible for me: the majority of the album is in a language other than English (see also Arabic, French, Galician, Portuguese, and Spanish). But the music is quick and fun and I do like the album name – translated to Next Stop: Hope.

Top track: Take your pick, they’re all the same.

This week: Work is good, I spent a couple of days offsite with the new team down the peninsula, and I think everything is finally booked for America, after cancelling our Toronto, New York and Chicago hotels and starting again. Not long now!