Review: Los Lonely Boys ‘Resurrection’

Review: Los Lonely Boys ‘Resurrection’

By Hal Horowitz

Let’s first address the elephant in the room; what took so long for Texas’ Los Lonely Boys to record a new album? It was ten long years ago that we last heard from the three Garza brothers on the excellent Revelation, their fifth release in a busy previous decade.

Then…nothing.

There are no readily available answers although bassist Jojo did leave the outfit for a few years. Regardless, the trio is not only back on tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut, but has also returned to the studio, as the title of this disc (Resurrection, released August 2) implies.

The ten originals on Resurrection pick up where LLB left off, merging roots rocking, Tex-Mex, Latin, blues, and even pop into a succulent cultural gumbo. It’s an engaging combination due to strong songwriting and performances which crackle with the excitement you might expect from a band returning from a long hiatus. That’s despite a list of studios involved where overdubs were laid down. Still, the bones of each tune display a rugged, focused approach harkening back to the group’s finest material.

Strings, horns and keyboards are added for sweetening but the songs are predominantly played by the threesome. Guitarist Henry Garza handles the bulk of the singing as in the past. His voice has only gotten stronger and more assured over the extended absence. He connects on “I Let You Think That You Do” a tough Texas shuffle which kicks off with a distorted, psychedelic harmonica before igniting into a solid blues rocker. The following Mexican inflected “Dance With Me” brings Tex-Mex horns a la The Mavericks. Both tunes reflect a robust Los Lobos influence, not surprising since the Garza siblings have toured with them previously and will again on an upcoming trek promoting this release.

There are some chunky, swamp-infused Chuck Berry licks on “Can’t Get No Love,” which sounds like NRBQ at their height. They also inject sharp blues-shaking with just a smidgen of Beatlesque-changes and backing harmonies (their drummer is named Ringo after all) for the chugging “Hooked on You” to instill extra zing on the already spicy menu.

The tempo slows as LLB lean into soul/pop on the sweet, perhaps excessively slick, “Send More Love” that takes a side road into some socio-political areas. “Nobody tells the truth because it’s easier to lie” and “this world is going crazy” sings Henry as he works his wah-wah pedal, referencing a 70s George Harrison-inflected tone. The following love song “Natural Thing” –sung in Spanish and English–is a logical radio single, showing that Los Lonely Boys could pull off an entire album of these honeyed ballads if they weren’t so committed to a more eclectic roots-oriented style.

The closing “Bloodwater” taps a delicious slow blues groove. The brothers bring in Reese Wynans on organ and highlight Henry’s string bending abilities, which take a back seat for the majority of the tunes, with some fiery playing.

This is a typically classy and diverse collection from Los Lonely Boys who have hopefully righted their musical ship and will continue to deliver more music with the conviction, focus and force they show here. And not have us wait another ten years for the next one.

“Wish You Would”