Think Los Lobos and it's impossible not to think of their massive 1987 hit La Bamba, a cover version of Ritchie Valens' hit. A level of success on this global scale inevitably proves to be a huge millstone and many bands have crumbled under lesser weights. But after over three decades in the business they are still going strong.
The loose theme on this album is that of surviving in tough times with the title, a metaphor for being broke, referencing the current economic depression. Tin has to suffice in the absence of gold but, as the song 'Tin Can Trust' stresses, love can survive all the same.
The album was recorded in a warehouse in East L.A. allowing the band the space to lay many of the tracks down live in the first or second take. As a result, the sound is crisp and unfussy.
It showcases nine all original band compositions , one track (All My Bridges Burning) co-written with Grateful Dead's Robert Hunter and one Dead cover (Hunter's West L.A. Freeway).
Despite the Latino core of the group, the heart of the sound on this album draws its main inspiration from the American R&B music scene of the 1950s and 60s. The reverence for traditional blues-rock is evident although for the most part, and particularly on the one instrumental (Do The Murray) the band seem happy to go through the motions rather than add any individual flourishes .
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The best track is the slow burning Jupiter Or The Moon. mainly because it offers a subtle variant on the straight, and largely predictable, rootsy formula. The languid, laid back mood gives the tune more of a dreamy feel.
The two songs in Spanish don't really fit in. They are both lively and fun but stick out like sore thumbs. I can only think that these tracks - Yo Canto (a Columbian cumbia tune) and Muyer Ingrata ( a traditionally Mexican norteno) - are included as a sop to those coming to the album expecting more of tex-mex vibe.
I don't want to be too negative because Tin Can Trust is a decent set of songs. It's just that, sadly, there's not enough in the way of originality or vitality to take it to a higher level.
Los Lobos website
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