"When I first bought this CD about 2 years ago, I couldn't believe how good it was--and it is much better than the follow-up, 'Dose.' It is clear that the experimentation on this CD seriously affected the musical direction of subsequent Los Lobos albums (heard 'Colossal Head' or 'This Time' yet?) The music here is simply intoxicating--soulful, mezmerizing, yet rough, fragmented, and minimalistic at the same time. I won't go into individual tracks since the album is best listened to in one complete sitting (which shouldn't be too difficult since it clocks in at under 40 minutes). I often play this CD while laying in bed, waiting to fall asleep. How can an album featuring so much distorted vocals, sharp drum beats, buzz-sawed guitars, and other electronically-concocted sounds be so beautiful and so musically enriching? Well, it is. This is a CD not just for Los Lobos fans, but for anyone interested in well-crafted experimental music that is not the least bit self-indulgent. A solid, solid effort."
LOBOS SIDE PROJECT SCORES BIG
Thomas D. Christianson | Ashland, WI United States | 03/06/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This side project by the guys from LOS LOBOS is a masterpiece.
Close in style to such wonders as the 'big wolves' KIKO and
COLOSSAL HEAD, it borders on magical in it's brilliance. If you
like either of those offerings you will probably enjoy this
effort. Experimental and somewhat low key, their roots shine
through nonetheless. Head music, that will, at the same time, get
your feet moving. Nearly undescribable (at least to me) in it's
originality, LATIN PLAYBOYS is a must for any LOS LOBOS fan.
Thanks, and may your kindness be repaid threefold.
Tom"
Brilliant work by brilliant musicians... some don't get it
Flabbergast the Brown | Sirus Minor | 11/11/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I felt compelled to write a short review as a corrective to the other two reviews I saw on this page that can only be described as coming form narrow-minded fools with no imagination or appreciation of genuine music. Go back to listening to Los Lonely Boize you lightweights! I've been a Los Lobos fan since their beginnings and still am one today, and the period surrounding the Latin Playboys project yielded two of their most interesting and fantastic albums (Kiko and Colossal Head) as well as the 1999 follow-up album Dose. In the mid-90's I forced this album on nearly everyone I knew -- And they ALL thanked me afterwards. It doesn't take much to convert a real music fan to this album. It literally overflows with creativity. It's simulateanously avante-garde and experimental yet also accessible, melodious and constantly intriguing. I have never, ever felt "bored" listening to this album. If you need pure testosterone to keep you awake, then I guess you might find this record beguiling. But for the rest of you, don't miss out on this amazing record. Hard to believe it's 10-years-old already. (By the way, if you were lucky enough to see the small tour that went out in support of 1999's "Dose", then you will know what a fantastic bunch of musicians these guys are.
I would say this record would appeal to a broad range of open-minded people, from fans of Tom Waits to Captain Beefheart, from Caetano Veloso to Radiohead. And yes, Los Lobos fans too!"
Rare to be worthy of my 5 stars and it is.
A Music Lover | the seaside | 11/02/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"David Hildago's masterpiece. This is not just a simple 4 track recording. It incorporates Hildago's 4 track cassette demos left over from the KIKO sessions and adds sounds to them. Where one starts and the other begins is the mystery. That is just a matter of fact, the interest comes from these gems being recognized as worth messing with. Who cares how they recorded it and what fi it is, it is just such and inspired stroke of casual genius that it will sound good in any era.
There was little chance that recreating this on a follow up would hold this new standard, and DOSE does not come close. It sounds like what this album would have been without the inspiration and genius."
Spooky stuff
driley@cyberramp.net | 09/03/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This cd is truly "out there". For this recording, Mitchell Froom, Tchad Blake, and members of Los Lobos throw time signatures, clarity, and tune out the window to create a collection of haunting music. I've always considered this cd as the soundtrack to a dream. It's very abstract, and certainly not for everyone, but it's truly creative and shows you just how far the envelope can be pushed while still retaining musical quality."