Let's Do It All Over Again!
AustinStratFan | Austin, Texas USA | 09/19/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A "very best of..." album for Los Lonely Boys. I don't think I was ready for that (as one of the longer term fans).
Putting that title in perspective, this is a broad sampling of music from the boys' work between 2003 and the 2008. It does not include their earliest work in 1997 (excluding Diamonds - but more later), nor does in include material from the late 2008 "Christmas Spirit" album.
However...(smile)
If one were to be allowed only one Los Lonely Boys album, the selection of songs here would be a pretty fair representation of five years work.
Some review:
You could not have the album without having Henry's heartfelt prayer-turned-to-music "Heaven". You get it twice here.
We get the lead single off each of the published albums:
* Heaven (two versions - album and acoustic)
* Diamonds (on the 1997 album, reworked, and rereleased on Sacred)
* Staying With Me (Forgiven)
And some of the more frequently played cuts - both on air and at shows:
* More Than Love (Radio Remix from Los Lonely Boys)
* Heart Won't Tell A Lie (Forgiven)
* Nobody Else (from Los Lonely Boys and my personal all time favorite so far)
* Roses (Sacred)
* Velvet Sky (Los Lonely Boys)
* My Way (Sacred)
A cover or two - with the Boys' performance signature on them:
* I Walk The Line (although it has been edited at the end - the Spanish is gone)
* La Bamba
And some songs that no one can figure out why...these are great songs, but very little airplay and very infrequent show plays:
* Roses (Sacred)
* Texican Style (Sacred)
* You Can't See The Light (Forgiven)
And of these last three, Texican Style is not only a groundbreaker in having Michael Guerra as guest with his button accordian - but also in its rare display of the boys' humor as they joke with each other during the ending of the song. Downright hilarious, and most of the fans would really love to hear it more often than it is currently played - so having it here - re-exposed - is wonderful!
What don't you get?
If you are an LLB live performance fan, there's not one here. I would personally have enjoyed getting the live version of "I Am The Man To Beat" from the Fillmore album here. It would be truly wonderful to get the live version of "I Don't Want To Lose Your Love" from the Latin Grammys when Carlos Santana and LLB performed it.
If you are an LLB blues fan, then their wonderful versions of classics, such as Voodoo Chile and Pride and Joy (SRV), as well as their own heavy hitters - Cottonfields and Crossroads, Onda and End Of A New Beginning are also not here. However, keep in mind that these are not three-minutes-and-done songs.
And I would have liked a little more of their earlier signature work - "Friday Night" comes to mind.
Last but certainly not least, there's a lot of Henry and Joey doing lead vocals here - it would have been nice for this to include Ringo's vocal debut from Forgiven - "Superman".
All personal criticism to the side, I find the album very radio and party friendly - a great selection of the boys' pop music production.
On the basis of "just one album", I recommend that you purchase a copy for the car, the beach, or other places where you might want to have the CD to back up your IPod, Zune or phone. And, if you are introducing someone to LLB - for the first time - or reintroducing - this is a great gift pick.
And look forward to a trip back in time very soon. October 13, 2009, Los Lonely Boys will put out an EP entitled "1969". If you are a devotee of music from that time period, get ready for a treat! You'll find it here on Amazon now.
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Track Listings (14) - Disc #1
